My Silver Haired Gemini
by darkahgony36
Summary: What are second Chances for? Well, for starters, to make things right. Could it also mean finding friendship, happiness and love? Continuing AC movie my way. Critics are welcomed.
1. Rain

This is my first FFVII story, so please tell me how I did on my first Chapter! Oh, Im using Yazoo, Loz and Kadaj; Cloud, Tifa, Marlene, Denzel, Yuffie and the rest too, but almost nothing. Cloud and Tifa will be appearing most of the time.

I don't know how old the characters really are, so Im setting them what I think their age should be. In this case, its like this;

(blah, blah blah; **2011 update**: I'm deleting this little piece right here about the ages; I realized that there was another direction I wanted to take with this story after an almost 2 year thinking process… I know, too long, I'm really sorry I've kept all of you guys waiting… but I'm back! :D)

That's all, please review. Thank you! (Actually, I don't care if you review or not, as long as you just read the story lol if you want to review that's fine; I'm allowing anonymous reviews so you won't have to log in if you don't want to; if you're shy about public and all that, that's fine too… )

* * *

"C'mon Brother! It's raining!" said a teenage girl, running out of her house and leaving her brother to look at her strangely.

"You're 17, for Pete's sakes Sei." Her brother said, rolling his eyes.

"Don't give me that, I know you'll enjoy being under the rain as much as I am." Said Sei, looking inside the house at her brother.

Her brother faked a groan and smiled. He had to admit that his sister was right. He did like to be under the rain, but he just wanted to see how much would Sei push before he actually joined her.

"Don't go too far." he said. "Those monsters might come back."

Sei came closer to the house and looked at her brother strangely. "'Don't go'? Don't you mean Lets Not Go Too Far?"

"I'm too old for this." Said her brother, widening his smile.

"Goodness Jake, you'd think you're 89 years old instead of 23. You're never too old to play under the rain. C'mon." she said, reaching into the house and grabbing her brothers arm with her wet hand and pulling him towards the outside world. Jake only faked an irritated sigh and hugged her, letting her guide him into the curtain of rain. Being outside, he raised his face to the sky and let the rain drops touch his face before running down his chin, neck and chest. He looked at his sister; she also had her face raised towards the sky. Her mouth was open and her tongue sticking out, tasting the rain.

"Tag, you're it!" said Jake, touching her shoulder and running off into the white trees that surrounded their house.

"You won't get away that easy!" cried Sei, chasing after him.

They climbed trees, tripped over rocks around the location and slipped in mud puddles; it was the usual, just having a bit of fun.

All of a sudden, a big explosion was heard from the city. Sei and Jake stopped running and looked over to where the explosion seemed to take place. It seemed to be coming from the ruins.

"Hm." muttered Sei, narrowing her eyes in concentration.

_Oh, no. here it comes_. Jake rolled his eyes away from his sister. He knew her all too well.

"I wonder..."

"No, don't wonder." interrupted Jake. "Let's go into the house and stay there."

"But brother—"

"Don't 'but brother' me, sis. In the house." Jake grabbed her arm and started pulling her towards the house.

"Oh come on! It could be exiting!" she said pulling her arm free and starting to run towards the origins of the explosion.

"HEY! COME BACK HERE!" yelled Jake, gazing at Sei. He knew it was useless to chase after her on foot, so he turned around and opened the garage. He hopped into his black car, turned the engine on and stepped on the gas to catch up with Sei.

"Man, she's faster than I remember," whispered Jake, maneuvering the car to park it right in front of his sister without having to worry about running over her.

"What the hell?" she yelled in surprise, stopping short at the sudden appearance of the car right in front of her.

"C'mon, well go in this baby. If we have any trouble, it will be easier to take you back home."

"You saying we'll actually take a look?"

"Yeah." Said Jake, almost rolling his eyes. "Now, hop in before I change my mind."

Without having to hear it twice, she ran around the car and hoped into the passenger seat.

"Let's go then!" she cried, happily.

Jake let an exaggerated sigh escape his lips before he stepped on the gas and headed towards Midgar. There was no doubt his sister was an adventurer, but sometimes he couldn't help wonder if "Danger" existed in her vocabulary.

* * *

The boy lay on the ground, face up, letting the rain drops land on his face and body. He opened his eyes and tried to figure his current location. He couldn't move, with the exception of breathing and blinking. Other than that, he didn't think he would ever budge.

To prove this wrong, he tried to shield the rain from his face with his arm but a pain shooting up all the way to his shoulder stopped him. Maybe he would have to lay there forever. He wouldn't mind it one bit if the rain coming down from the glorious sky wasn't the one causing that stinging pain all over.

He let his head roll to the side only to see an empty house in an empty lot. The door was gone; the windows were broken, staring down at him with inviting darkness. The little house looked like if it was about to collapse, but who cared? It would provide shield from the rain for at least a couple of days. He would recover and then leave… somewhere.

He tried to make his body obey the command he gave to sit up, but it refused. "I have to get out…" he whispered fiercely, more to encourage himself than to hope anyone would hear him. He forced himself to roll over and although his body screamed and protested in pain and refusal, he managed to drag himself a few inches towards the abandoned house. He stopped and through his wet silver hair, he looked again at the house. _It was so far, yet so near_… A few more yards and then he would be in that house, away from the pain, safe from the rain.

He blinked away the rain drops that had managed into his eyes and they rolled down his cheeks. They almost felt like tears, only one thing, he never cried. He only knew what tears were because of his older brother… speaking of which, where was he?

"Loz…" he whispered, narrowing his eyes eager to locate his brother. He moved his eyes until it was necessary to turn his head to look beyond the territory his eyes could cover. It was literally a pain in the neck he was willing to stand just to find his brother… If he was alive, if he had survived just like himself to the explosion… he wouldn't be alone anymore…

"Loz..?" he said in a hoarse voice.

Suddenly his head weighed too much for him to keep up. Confused, he blinked, hoping that feeling would vanish. Instead, his body gave way and let gravity take over him, his head landing hard like a stone against the floor, opening a small wound on his forehead. He tried to crawl further towards the house, but the pain was so much, that he fainted, in that position. Deep inside, a little voice told him that he would die a slow and painful death. As he slipped away into a whirlpool of darkness, numbed pain and desperation, he admitted to himself that he deserved it.


	2. Mother

"It's to the left!"

"Right!"

"_Left_!"

"Who has the car here?"

Both siblings were in Jake's car trying to decide which direction they should take. They had entered the ruins' territory and had been in some kind of maze made out of rocks and stones that had once been part of the building where the explosion took place. From Sei's perspective, at first it was fun to watch Jake loose his marbles as he came so close to crashing his precious car, but now, she was getting anxious to see the damage.

"I don't care! We have to go _left_!" said Sei as if it were definitive. And it was.

"Fine. _Fine_." Jake turned the steering wheel to the left. It was amazing how even though he was the oldest, she seemed capable of manipulating him perfectly to whatever she wanted. And the weird thing was, that she wasn't a spoiled girl, on the contrary, she hardly ever asked for anything.

"This is as far as we go," he sighed, stopping and turning around to look at Sei, who was looking at the large rocks in the pavement right in front of them. She sat there for a few moments silently before she opened the car door, got out and walked away.

"Hey, wait!" said Jake, putting the car in "Park" and opening the door; he tried to get out but the seatbelt stopped him. He took it off forcefully and cursing, got out of the car and followed after Sei.

"What the hell's your problem?" he snapped, grabbing hold of Sei's arm and turning her towards him. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"There's no sign of danger anywhere." She said, trying to free her arm.

"Have you stopped to think of the reason nobody is out here?"

"They're probably afraid." She said, jerking free and walking away again. Jake followed close behind his sister mumbling things that could happen if she didn't stick by him. He was taken by surprise when she stopped walking; he almost walked right into her. He was about to ask what the problem was this time, but the fact that she looked in some kind of trance stopped him.

He followed her gaze and then saw an object on the pavement.

"What's that?" he whispered.

"I don't know…" she whispered back.

They stood there silently, staring at it. Sei was the first to break out of her trance, by running to whatever it was. Jake stood there a couple of seconds more before he realized what his sister was doing.

"It's a person." She called back to him. "A _guy_, to be specific," she added, when her brother was right next to her.

"How can you tell? It has long hair… and its face is so… _feminine_, you know?"

"His shoulders are way too wide and his hips are… well, masculine." She said. There was silence as Jake studied his sister. "Bring the car, Jake." She added.

"What?" asked Jake, surprised. "What for?"

"To take him of course." She said, patting the guys back gently.

"What do you mean take him?"

"What, am I speaking alien here? We're going to take him home."

"Why?"

"He's hurt," she began, looking up at her brother defiantly, "and now we have somebody to share the house with." At Jake's confused expression, she smiled and explained, "you know all those times you complain of 'why do we have so many rooms for if we don't use them'?"

Jake nodded and then he understood. He closed his eyes in irritation, cursing. Leave it to his sister to remember all his complaints, and curse his speaking-out-loud thoughts. With a hint of laughter, Sei asked him once more to bring the car. Jake had no choice. He left Sei behind while he started moving rocks out of the way to let the car pass through. Like that wasn't enough, it had started sprinkling again.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sei observed the males position. His hand was reaching out towards an abandoned house a couple of yards away and his legs gave her indication that he had tried to crawl over. At that moment she noticed a strange sound. It was a hissing sound, similar to the one produced when cold water touches a hot pan. She turned to her brother to see if he noticed it too, but he was too busy cursing, mumbling and moving rocks to pay attention. She looked back down at the male on the floor, only to hold her breath when she noticed something… strange and unbelievable.

Every time a raindrop touched the man's body, there was a slight hissing sound, but what surprised her the most was the fact that faint green smoke was produced as reaction.

_The rain… why doesn't that happen to me?_ She looked at her hand confused. As the rain began to fall harder, and the smoke began to get heavier, she decided that now was not the time to try and answer her own question. As far as Sei could see, the cool rain, ironically, _burnt_ the man, so she had to try and do something to help him. She looked around and then her eyes crashed into the house again.

_The house… He knew and he tried to crawl to safety_…

Without hesitating, she turned him around, and saw the wound on his forehead; she was about to focus on it, when the man's face twisted in agony, prompting her to forget the wound for now. She sat him up, came up behind him, hugged his torso and started dragging him towards the house. She was practically carrying dead weight, but adrenaline and determination made her inner strength came out to her aid and she managed to drag him inside the house successfully. Breathing hard to catch her breath, she laid him down on the cold and hard floor and then looked around as she stretched her back.

There were old and torn rags in a far corner. The inside of the house wasn't much better than the outside. It had a very gloomy feeling to it, and there was gray light coming into the house through the broken windows. She could hear water drops somewhere in the house; probably a roof leak.

She began looking for the bathroom, and when she found it, she opened the water faucet and released a sigh of relief when clean water came out. She took her shirt off and rinsed it, washing all the rain water away and cursing under her breath when she realized she should have worn another shirt under or brought at least a jacket; she would have to be wearing nothing but her bra in the open.

She was back to the male's side when another thought came to her mind. The rain water had hurt him, right? Well, what if the faucet water hurt him too? There was only one way to find out. Taking her shirt, she squeezed some water into the guys face and to her relief, there was no reaction. Quickly, she kneeled down and started cleaning his face with her shirt. Then she centered some attention to the wound on his forehead by pressing her shirt against it so it would absorb the blood. "Nothing a bandage can't cover." She looked him over a bit more; there were slight burn marks on his face and around his neck, but nothing too severe. Perhaps a bit of aloe would be enough to treat those once she got him home.

"Sei?" her brother called to her from the outside. "Where are you?"

"In the house!" she called back to him, turning her head slightly towards the door.

"How did you get in here?" he asked, stepping into the house but then stopped short. "Whoa, hey; what's your shirt doing all over his face?" he asked.

"Forget that. Where's the car?"

"It's right outside the house." He said.

Sei looked out the door and saw the car parked outside. To her relief, she saw that the rain had also eased up. She removed the shirt from the guys face and when Jake saw the blood stain on it, he began making a big fuss out of it. "Jake, forget the blood. It can be washed away. _He_ needs help."

Rolling his eyes away from his sister, he bent down and picked up the male from the floor by the torso, dragged him out; she stepped out of the abandoned house wearing the blood stained, water dripping shirt. He looked at her disapprovingly, but as she was about to take her shirt off once again, he shook his head and told her it was better for her to keep it on until they got home. With her help, he was able to put the unconscious man into the car and settle him in the back seat as gently as he could.

"Man," said Jake, putting his hands on his lower back and stretching back. "How did you manage to drag him in there?"

She smiled.

* * *

"I don't think that's normal" said Jake when he and his sister were already home. They had put the male on the living room floor—orders by Jake who didn't want the couches to get wet— and Sei—who was wearing another shirt— had told him about the smoke that came out of the males body when a rain drop touched him. She was careful to leave out the part of the fact that the smoke was green.

"Neither do I, but when I splashed his face with water, there was no reaction."

"I think we should take him back to where we found him."

"No." said Sei. "We already brought him here, might as well just keep him." The way she said that was almost as if she were discussing the future of a new pet, which visibly bothered Jake. "Besides, we don't know what happened. We know there was an explosion, so I mean, what if he was on fire before and the smoke only meant the cold water touching his hot coat?"

"Probably, but he doesn't smell like—"

"Jake. Think about what if." Sei was about to lose her temper.

"Okay, okay." Said Jake. "So, we have… many rooms. Where do we put him?"

"How about the one next to mine?" When Jake eyed her warily, she explained. "It's close enough for both of us to keep an eye on him."

"Alright." Sei leaned over the stranger and touched his forehead."He has a fever." She informed her brother. "You're going to have to bathe him. Oh c'mon Jake," she added when she saw the you're-pushing-this-too-far expression on her brother's face. "Unless of course, you want me to see his—"

"Okay, okay! I'll do it!"

Sei almost laughed. Once again, she helped Jake carry the male, this time to the bathroom, where he was settled on the floor forcefully. Carrying him back and forth was beginning to seem like a workout; she could bet that by next day both of them were going to be sore. With this in mind, she began testing the water to see how cold it should be while Jake brought some of his clothes to put on the newcomer.

"There, the water's ready."

"Isn't the water too cold?" asked Jake touching the water.

"I think that's about right… if you think it should be a little warmer, then okay, but remember that the whole point is to help bring the fever down." Sei answered stepping out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to prepare some soup for the three of them.

* * *

Several minutes later, Jake had settled the male on the room next to his sister's and Sei forced a couple of spoonfuls of soup down his throat until he moved his head sideways in a matter of saying "No More."

They could understand that the man was more tired than hungry. While they both watched him sleep, Jake was getting a shoulder massage from his sister who kept thanking him for his help.

"I think your theory that he was on fire is accurate," he was saying. "I saw some burn marks on his face, but they're more prominent around his neck and his wrists. But that's it." He held his breath as Sei pushed deep into his shoulder blades and then released the air, relieved, before continuing. "That coat must be something else, alright; it protected the rest of his body just fine." When Sei had applied a bit of aloe onto the man's skin, they considered it all they could do for now and went out to eat something themselves.

Afterwards, Jake informed his sister that he would be taking a nap; after reassuring that she was okay with it, she went on to add that she would be taking care of the new guy.

* * *

Sei was beginning to think it was pointless to watch over the silver haired young man; he was sound asleep. Staring at him sleeping so peacefully made her go to sleep a few hours later. She was awakened by a groan. Her eyes opened slowly, her mind slightly foggy with sleep and her back and legs aching from the uncomfortable position she had been in for over an hour in the chair next to the bed. For a moment she wondered where she was but when she heard a groan again, she awoke quickly. She looked at the time in bright red colors the clock indicated next to her; 2:33. When the third groan came to her ears, she stood up and turned to the room, seeking blindly for a cloth. When she found one, she tossed it over the lamp next to the clock and turned it on.

The dim light reached through the fabric and touched the young man's face. His eyes were closed but his face was in so much tension and showed so much pain that Sei herself could feel it without explanation. She frowned worriedly when his breathing started speeding.

"Ma..."

"Hm?" Sei's frown turned to a confused expression. Had she heard something or was her tired mind playing games with her?

She stared down at him, half expecting him to say something else, if he had. She shook her head, trying to make herself believe that she was imagining things. Figuring that maybe he felt a bit hot, she stood, and walked towards the bowl of water set aside with a cloth in it; she took the cloth and squeezed some water out of it, but left most in before walking back to him. Bending over his body, she took a corner of the cloth and gently rubbed it against his face, the cracked aloe moistening a bit before peeling off. To her surprise, the skin underneath was already normal; a soft, almost ashen skin; there was a green tint to it, but that must have been because of the shirt she threw onto the lamp.

She went and rinsed the cloth in the bowl and then came back to rub the cloth on his neck; once again the cracked aloe moistened and then peeled off neatly. Sei gasped; Jake had mentioned that the burn marks were more prominent on his neck and wrists, but even so, it was as if they were never there. Maybe the skin hadn't been burnt as much as she thought; maybe it was only because it was right after the shower that she applied aloe on his skin that she thought the area was pink, when in reality it could've been as normal as it was now.

She stretched her back and walked towards the window. His breathing was more stable, just a small amount of pressure somewhere.

"…Der…"

Her head turned towards the bed again. She was certain she had heard something this time. But how could that be? He was laying so peaceful in that bed and even his breathing had gone back to normal. She went to go place herself in the same chair again, and then picked up a pen from the table next to the bed. She drummed it against her hand to a rhythm of a song she really liked. Before she knew it, she was already whispering the lyrics.

The hours passed by fast; when she looked at the clock again, the numbers had changed and the time now read 5:36.

She looked at the silver haired guy again; watching him sleep was making her tired. Perhaps a few more hours of sleep would—

"Ma…"

She saw his lips move. There was no way she could've imagined that if she was wide awake. And his voice, an edgy, strained voice, couldn't be imagined either. Without waiting, she scribbled what she had heard in the palm of her hand.

"'Ma'?" she said aloud. "What does it mean? Is it a foreign language?" She was concentrating so hard on whether what the man had said was a different language or not, that she almost missed the second thing he said.

"…Der…"

She frowned at him questioningly before scribbling down the other word in her hand. What in the world was he trying to say? And to who?

* * *

She spent two hours trying to figure that out. At 7:45, her brother came in fully dressed.

"Whoa, I slept all night… I'm sorry I…" he stopped. He noticed the thoughtful expression in his sister's face. "What's wrong?"

"Last night," she said, tapping the end of the pen against her cheek debating just what to tell him, "He was delirious. And he kept whispering two words I really don't know what they mean." She extended her hand so he could see the words written on it. He saw the word 'Der' under the word 'Ma'. She didn't think it was necessary to tell him about the skin burns and whatnot; she was sure that if she mentioned it, it would just reassure Jake that it was yet another reason why they should just dump the man back where they had found him.

"That's strange." He said, a thoughtful expression climbing on his face. "He only said 'Ma' and 'Der'?"

And then, Sei's eyes widened. "Jake, I think I just figured it out." She said, looking at the man on the bed and then back at her brother. She explained what her theory was and then Jake widened his eyes as well. It made sense.

Every time the male dreamed something, he would move. Every time he moved, his body would ache and then he would groan and utter cut words. Sei understood now that put together, 'Ma' and 'Der' formed a childish plea for "mother."


	3. Wake Up

(Insert Info Here) Well technically, I had information here on the new characters; I actually became irritated with it, so I decided to delete this little heading too. Bear with me, people, I'm still tweaking this story a bit…)

* * *

"...And when you put the _x_ inside the box, you have to consider that little equation on the bottom..."

Sei looked at the teacher irritated. She couldn't concentrate on the lesson. Every now and then she would catch a bit of what the teacher was saying, but then her mind would release a mental fog and block all her abilities of learning.

"...then you have to remember that this part has to be to the 4th power. And don't forget that the equation of the half circle has to be divided by..."

Sei rested her head on her hand and looked at her desk. There was a notebook turned to a blank page where she was supposed to be writing notes on and there was a pencil beside it, which she was supposed to use to write notes with. She was too tired to write anything; besides the fact that the pencil seem to weight too much, she kept spacing out. Jake had warned her about it that morning, said after being awake almost all night was going to cause her trouble concentrating at school. She didn't listen, and there she was, fighting a battle against her wishes to close her eyes and drift into dream land... soft clouds of cotton... a river made of blankets...

Her eyes started closing without realizing. Before she knew it, she was sound asleep and the voice of her teacher kept getting farther and farther away...

"_MRS. SUZUKI_!"

Sei jumped on her seat startled by the sudden closeness of the voice. The teacher was still by the board, but she was looking at her an angry look on her face. She wasn't the only one staring at Sei, the whole class was.

"Is my class so boring you _must_ fall asleep?" asked the teacher.

Sei had twenty good answers to that question, but the bell rang before she could say anything.

"Mrs. Suzuki, may I see your notes please?" asked the teacher, turning to the board and beginning to erase all she had written.

Sei stood up slowly. She bent to pick up her back-pack when a girl came up to her.

"Sei, want me to wait for you outside?" she asked.

"Yeah." She said.

She picked up her notebook and walked to the teacher's desk as she was sitting down and arranging papers on drawer. She extended her hand towards Sei and Sei gave her the notebook.

"Well, you seem to have all the notes as usual, Mrs. Suzuki." Said the teacher, looking through her notebook.

"_Huh_?" Whispered Sei. She didn't understand. But when she saw the cover of the notebook, she immediately understood. "Oh, _yeah_, of course I do." She said.

"I just don't understand why you were falling asleep in my class. Is it boring?" asked the teacher turning in the book back to Sei and looking into her eyes.

Keeping her wit in check, she decided to go for another alternative. "I had a rough night. I was awake most of the time." Well, it wasn't a lie… partly. "You ever had any of those moments when you just can't sleep?"

"Yes," said the teacher. "Yes, I have. Well, I wish that today you get a good sleep, Mrs. Suzuki. You may leave."

Sei grabbed the notebook, bowed and walked out the door only to meet her two friends right outside class.

* * *

They both were taller than her, but if so, only for a few inches.

One had straight jaw length red hair and playful looking narrow blue eyes. Her name was Anna. The other one had wavy, shoulder length blonde hair combined with flirty looking hazel eyes. Her name was Mimi.

"Thanks for lending me your notebook" Said Sei to Mimi as she caught up with them. "Can I borrow it to copy the notes?"

"Sure," said Mimi, smiling widely.

"What happened? Mimi told me you were falling asleep in class." Said Anna. Her blue eyes stared at her with concern.

"Oh, I had a rough night." Said Sei, putting Mimi's notebook inside her back-pack.

"You had a _rough night_? With who?"

Sei laughed. "Hey, perv, I'm not like you selling myself in the corners of the city. I had nightmares all night."

"HEY! I GET GOOD MONEY OUTTA THAT, OK?" joked Anna.

They laughed. Mimi snorted, which prompted all of them to laugh even longer before they walked along the hallway. "Hey, did you guys do that homework we had for physics?" asked Sei, turning to her friends.

"I need a couple of assignments and then I'm finished." Replied Mimi.

"I just need to start it," Anna's carelessness was obvious in the way she tucked her short hair behind her ear. Sei stopped in the middle of the hallway looking at her friend.

"You _do_ know it's due tomorrow, right?" she asked, already guessing the answer.

As if on cue, Anna's hair fell forward. "It is? I thought it was due next week!" Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Nope." Said Sei, smiling at her friend.

Anna continued to stare at Sei until Mimi said "Looks like Anna will be busy today," in a sing-song voice. Sei released a sigh as she watched Mimi look at the ceiling with dreamy eyes and moving her arms in a wave movement.

"Do you need help?" asked Sei, still watching Mimi.

Anna finally broke out of her trance. "Nah, you got better things to do. Besides, I'll finish in time, don't worry— Could you stop that?" she added, taking a hold of Mimi's arms and shoving her to the side. Mimi moved to the side obediently, and stopped waving her arms, but she still looked at Anna playfully.

"Tomorrow is Tuesday, I feel like ditching." Said Anna. "Any of you interested in coming with me?"

The three began to walk towards the entrance of the school."Don't count on me. I can't live without school and education." Said Mimi, looking at her feet.

"I can't." Said Sei, when Anna turned to her in hope of some company. "I got an important test coming up. I can't miss it."

"Fine, I won't ditch then. What the point if I have no one to ditch with?"

"You can ask some of the guys you talk to." Said Sei, playing with one of her bracelets.

"Nah, I want a day out with you two, but you're always so busy."

The girls exited the school and stopped near the road. They turned to each other, hugged good-bye and walked their separate directions.

* * *

There went another day of school. At least now Sei was a bit awake, but she couldn't help feel tired after watching over the new guy at her house. Speaking of which… She lifted her eyes and began to run towards her house. She couldn't wait to hear what her brother had done all day.

* * *

"He hasn't awakened yet." Were the words Jake told Sei when she entered the house, said hi to her brother and asked about the silver haired guy.

Sei went to his room and watched him for five minutes before deciding to help Jake with dinner. After they were done eating, they washed the dishes in silence and then went to the living room to relax a bit. Jake hadn't said another word about the new comer which led her to believe that he still hadn't found out about the mysteriously disappearing burn marks. Either that, or was waiting for her to mention it, which she didn't.

"How did school go?" asked Jake when a commercial flashed through the screen of the TV.

"Awful. I was forcing myself awake." Replied Sei.

"I told you."

There was a pause.

"Did you go to work today?" asked Sei.

"No, I called in sick. They're giving me all week."

Another pause.

"Sei, you need to go buy groceries; were running out of food again."

Sei looked at him.

"I would go, but I'm supposed to be sick, remember? If they see me out there buying food, they'll know I was just…"

"Thank you."

Jake looked at his sister surprised. For a moment he felt the urge of asking her if the lack of sleep had affected her.

"For agreeing to help me with him."

Jake smiled at his sister's words. "Sure thing sis."

* * *

After an hour of watching TV, Sei volunteered to watch over the new comer again, but Jake wouldn't hear of it. He forced Sei to take a nap, and after that, they negotiated about her idea.

She ended up winning, considering the fact she still had to copy down the notes she had borrowed from Mimi… not to mention the Physics project due the next day.

By the time she was finished with her assignments, it was already late. She looked out the window. She had been in the male's room doing her homework, and not once did he wake. But he wasn't dead; he was breathing. She wondered what Mimi and Anna were doing right then.

"Anna's probably doing her homework." She thought, a smile crawling up her face. That girl, she always left everything until the end.

She went back to the chair near the male's bed-side and sat down. She looked at him, biting her thumb nail. She sighed. She stood up and then sat down again. She stood up again and then neared the male, leaning over him once more. She wondered if his silver hair was dyed. "Not likely," she thought. "His eyebrows and eye lashes are also silver."

Her eyes ran over his smooth skin; she had read somewhere in literature class how often times people were described as having skin as smooth as marble, and this… well, it actually gave her a pretty good visual of what it looked like. For a moment she was actually tempted to touch it, but then she changed her mind, thinking that unless it was to take his temperature, there really should be no reason to touch him without him knowing.

He breathed normal, just like he had been doing all day, according to Jake, so she sat down again, sighed a second time and just stared at the guy. She felt curiosity eating inside her, wondering what it would be like to have a conversation with him, but she couldn't wake him up, not to mention, he probably didn't _want_ to wake up… yet_._

Sei leaned on the bed side and settled her elbows on the bed for support when she put her chin on her hands. Slowly, she started drifting off to sleep; she startled herself awake only to let her head rest on the mattress near his hand as she embraced her stomach and then went to sleep. What she didn't know was that a few minutes later, the male had awakened, but just for a few moments.

* * *

The man opened his eyes. Where was he? He tried moving his arm but a slight pain made him stop. He was sore, but having never experienced such thing before, became quite concerned and decided it was best if he just stayed as he was for now. He looked at the ceiling. What had happened? He looked around. No doubt he was in a room, but to whom did it belong to? There was a window to his right side a couple of yards away from the bed, with curtains draped over them; a night table right beside the bed with a lamp covered with a green shirt. He'd never awakened in a room such as this one; as far as he could recall, the rooms he always came back to were white, usually cold and most definitely empty; not even windows.

He became aware of a light breathing. Was there someone else in that room with him? Who was it? He couldn't see. He needed to sit up, but when he moved his arm, he came in contact with something soft and abundant.

He forced himself up onto his left elbow still holding on to whatever it was with his right hand. Then he saw; what he was touching was hair. Hair from a human. A human who was sleeping, near to him. He wanted to wake it, but all of a sudden, the room started spinning. _What was this?_ He felt dizzy. He lay back down as he let go of the hair. He didn't have time to ask himself any more questions; as soon as his head touched the soft pillow, his eyes closed and then he was out cold.


	4. Hey

At six in the morning, the newcomer opened his eyes again. It was more of an obligation movement rather than a wanting one. Everything was blurry, and his eyes stung making his eyes watery. He blinked several times until finally sleep started to leave his mind and head. He sighed quietly as he looked up at the ceiling.

So, he hadn't dreamed the fact that he was in a room after all. He closed his eyes again, only to open them when he remembered the human that had been sleeping next to him a few hours ago… Still lying down, he moved his right hand again, trying to feel its hair, but it was gone. He forced himself onto his elbows again and looked at the spot where the human had been. Indeed, it was gone. _So what now?_ He asked himself as he looked around the room. _What…?_

He was caught almost by surprise when he saw someone standing at the window near his bed. It had long wavy hair that reached its waist; the bottom half was silver, almost white. The top half was many times darker; he guessed black. It was tall and it was staring out the window with a frown, in deep concentration. There was a very feminine touch to the way it was standing.

Could it be the same person who had been sleeping beside him?

He swallowed and then tried calling to it; the only thing that came out of his mouth was a raspy and forced _"hey."_

The human turned its head towards him and for a few moments, it gave him a cold stare as if still in trance. Then its expression softened as it realized he had awakened.

"Hey," it said. Now he realized it was a She, even when her voice was soft, gentle and low, almost a whisper. She smiled, unfolded her arms and walked over to the chair beside his bed carefully and sat down on the edge, looking at him with seemingly dark black eyes.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

He gave her a blank look. Was she asking _him_?

"Do you understand me?" she added, her smile disappearing from her light brown face as she gave him a curious look. The intensity of that stare was a bit uncomfortable; it almost seemed she could see right through him. Maybe it was the darkness of those eyes in the dimly lit room that made them seem unnatural.

He clenched his teeth tight for a few moments before saying "I understand you well."

Her stare eased up as she smiled again. "Good. For a moment I thought you didn't."

The guy looked at her silently.

"How are you feeling?" she repeated.

"Fine," He said. He bit his inner-lower lip and then added "Who are you?"

"My name is Sei." She answered. "What's yours?"

He didn't know. Well, he _did_, but, was it safe to tell her? He bit his tongue, as if preventing himself from saying it before he was sure of anything. He watched as she waited, he watched as she watched him, and how she smiled again. There was a certain something about the way she smiled; so reassuring, so friendly, so encouraging…

"Yazoo," he said.

_What_ was he doing? Was he _insane_? Well, there was no doubt about the latter, but still… His eyes widened very slightly, not being able to believe or fully comprehend what he'd done; as she continued to keep his eyes locked with hers, he realized he wanted to tell her more than just his name; he wanted to tell her who he was, what he'd done, what he was thinking... he looked away, quickly; those friendly eyes of hers were dangerous.

"Yazoo…" she said.

He looked at her again, this time carefully. She was still smiling with that warm, welcoming smile. _Why?_

"Where am I?" he asked instead.

"My house," she said, making herself more comfortable by leaning back on the chair she was sitting on. Yazoo saw this and then forced himself off his elbows to sit up. His back ached still; not as much as last night, but keeping it straight was a strain he couldn't afford yet. So he bent forward a little, placing his elbows on his knees to relieve the weight and effort. "How did I get here?"

"My brother and I found you hurt so we decided to bring you here." She noticed how Yazoo's eyes narrowed when she mentioned the word Brother. He looked at her as if remembering something…

* * *

He was indeed remembering. That final blow should've killed him. But when the explosion took place, Loz had jumped in front of Yazoo and then pushed him off the building. Somehow, Loz managed to brake Yazoo's fall, but after that, he fainted. When he had opened his eyes the first time, he was still outside… A cold chill ran down his spine as he remembered how he thought he was going to die a slow and painful death. He hadn't, thanks to that girl, who was still looking at him. So, if he had survived, then maybe…

"Did you happen to find someone else besides me?" he asked, staring at her knees.

"No." she said. "Was there someone else with you out there?"

"Yes." He answered. He cocked his head a little, figuring just what else to say. Then, thinking it was rude to be staring at her knees instead of her eyes, he turned toward the door at his left. Better not look at her at all. "But he might be dead anyway."

There was _no way_ Loz could've survived a fall that big.

* * *

An awkward silence began to grow in the room, making it heavy to breathe. "Does the light hurt your eyes?"

Yazoo's eyes came up to her face and he saw what seemed to be concern with a mix of friendliness. "No." His sincerity surprised even him, but he was thankful that she'd changed the subject to simpler questions.

"Do you want me to leave the curtains open, or do you want me to close them?"

"Either way is fine." He said.

The silence was still there, only it seemed to grow thicker with the pass of time. There was nothing to say. Sei stood up and looked at the clock beside his bed. 6:15. She realized she should start getting out of there and go to school. But the fact that Yazoo had finally awakened, made her want to skip school just for today, so she could have a chance and get to know him more. Yet, she decided against her wishes.

"Where did you find me?"

"No more questions Yazoo."

"But…" he looked about to protest, but Sei cut him off before anything else came out his mouth.

"Not now. You must rest until you're feeling well again."

"I feel fine."There were too many things he wanted to know, too many things that couldn't wait until later.

"Your body's tired." She said walking to him and pushing him gently back against the mattress obligating him to lie down again. He was surprised at how easily she did this; his strength was gone, his back ached if he even tried to resist, and his limbs were unresponsive; if everything were working exactly as it should, he would have flipped her over and demanded answers.

He looked up at her, ready to use his only form of defense left, when he caught sight of her face. _Why was this girl so concerned about him?_ As if by magic, he felt relaxed as soon as his head touched the pillow. He watched as Sei returned to the window to stare outside; that was the thing he could do since his mouth suddenly felt too tired to move as well. He kept watching her until his eyes closed and he fell asleep, the last thing he saw engraved into his lids; her looking at the outside world, standing up straight like a guardian and a small smile on her face.

* * *

Sei turned from the window to look at Yazoo when she noticed his breathing going steady. She wasn't surprised when she saw him asleep. The door opened and Jake stepped in with an expression that showed he was still half asleep.

"Well good morning my dear brother." She greeted him softly. She passed by him so she could go through the hall and into her room.

"Sei, you haven't been awake all night _again_, have you?" Jake asked, following after her.

"Nope, I woke up a few minutes ago." She said, setting her backpack on her shoulders and heading towards the front door. "Oh, and he woke up too."

Jake, who had been rubbing his hair against his head and yawning half-asleep, awoke suddenly at the mention of this piece of information.

"He did?"

"Yeah."

"Did you manage to get anything out of him?"

"Yeah; his name's Yazoo." She opened the door, stepped outside and ran towards the school, leaving Jake to close the door after her while he digested what she'd just said.

Well, there's the chapter. I hope you like it. Oh, and I didn't forget; Merry Christmas and Happy New YEAR! KYAAHH! I hope you all behaved well and that Santa Claus brought all the gifts you wanted!


	5. Trust

"Well, that sure is weird." Said Sei to her friends at the time school ended.

"What is?" asked Mimi.

"The robbery."

"I know!" replied Anna. "That's so unusual…"

The three girls were talking about what they had heard on TV that morning. It was in the news of the city, how the grocery store had been robbed the night before. But the weird thing was, that no money was stolen, only two bottles of hair dye and two towels.

There was still no way of knowing what color the hair dye was because all the bottles had been thrown to the floor, but they had counted them and the amount of money didn't match the amount of hair dye bottles. The robber had also broken a window, however but there were no finger prints anywhere.

"I'm serious, this city keeps getting more and more weird…" said Mimi.

Sei shrugged. "Hey, I gotta go buy some groceries, so, see ya."

"Alright, oh, and see if you can find anything and then tell us tomorrow, yeah?"

"Sure." The three girls hugged and then Sei headed towards the grocery store.

* * *

"I wonder who the person with Yazoo was." Thought Sei as she walked back home with both her arms carrying a bag full of groceries.

"_Yes… but he might be dead anyway."_

That thought made her shudder. How was it to wake up and realize you're all alone in the world she couldn't imagine. But she guessed that it might be terrifying, scary… almost to the point where it could drive anyone insane.

She was too deep in thought to notice two people coming out of a house running at full speed; she was brought back to reality when a boy collided with her, making her drop the grocery bags right before she lost her balance and joined the scattered food on the floor. She fell hard on her side, her hip and elbow crashing first to prevent her any harm. She lay on her side on the floor for a few moments while she realized what just happened. And then slowly and cautiously sat up, brushing her hair out of her face.

She looked up to a guy from where she was; he had very short black hair, he was pale, very muscular, and he was breathing hard while looking at a house. He was wearing a black outfit; what seemed to be a leather jacket and leather pants with black boots. It seemed his outfit was some kind of special armor. He had a weird gun attached to his left leg in a leather pocket. He seemed to be around his mid to late twenties.

"_Ouch_…" came a hiss to Sei's ears. She turned her head to her right only to see another guy about her age on the floor. He was trying to sit up; it seemed he was the one who knocked over Sei and then fell after her afterwards.

He had short black hair, but it wasn't as short as the other guys, no; this one had his hair down to his shoulders. For a moment Sei thought the guy was wearing really big bell bottoms until she realized that he was wearing a really long duster coat and that his "pants" were really the sides of his coat attached to his legs with belts. He was pale, and unlike the other one, he wasn't that muscular. There was a certain something, besides the green color of their eyes, that told Sei those two were related.

"Sorry." Came a harsh apology. Sei turned back to the one standing up only to be slightly surprised to find that the guy that was standing up was directing that apology towards her. He offered her a hand, she took it and was lifted very easily by him; the image of her being a rag doll pretty much filled her mind by how she swung brusquely until she regained control of her body.

Turning away from her, he walked to the one on the floor and also swung him like a rag doll in the attempt to lift him up; it seemed this guy was too strong for his own good. The one with longer hair gave the other one a cold stare as he hissed for him to be more careful. Amazingly enough, the muscular one seemed to be embarrassed and ashamed; now that was something you really never see every day.

"Did you guys just come out of that house?" asked Sei, pointing to the house she guessed they had emerged from.

The other two looked at her as if barely realizing her presence and then nodded without a word.

"You're new to the city, aren't you?"

"What makes you say that?" asked the one with longer hair.

"Well," began Sei, slightly crossing her arms, "Everyone who lives here never really goes near that house. People who don't listen or that don't know about them have to find out the hard way to stay away. You see, the people that live there are kinda crazy, and they tend to fool people just for their fun. They're kinda creepy, but if you stay away from the very beginning, you have a chance of living a pretty much normal life."

"Why are they like that?" asked the muscular one.

"Nobody knows why. It's not like they want to find out anyway. The people of the city rather stay away than trying to find out why they're so messed up. I tried talking to them once, but…" she shrugged.

The other two looked at her with questioning looks. She decided that talking about the old couple that lived in that house wasn't really a conversation starter.

"What are your names anyway?"

"My name is Loz. He's Kadaj," answered the one with short hair. The one named Kadaj looked surprised for a moment before he nudged Loz on the ribs hissing something and then rolled his eyes when Loz said he was sorry.

"So," she asked ignoring what had just happened between those two, "Do you guys have anywhere to stay?"

"No." again Loz answered and again Loz received another nudge in the ribs.

It seemed to Sei those two were hiding something; apparently Kadaj was getting nervous and angry and desperate by the way Loz was being so careless. Again she pretended not to see that. She bent down and started picking up the scattered food on the ground. She noticed how Loz helped her and how Kadaj stood near Loz, but Kadaj seemed to have too much pride to get on the floor and help.

"Thank you." She said, after all the food had been gathered. Loz nodded and Kadaj just sighed. "Hey, how about you guys stay over at my house?" she asked.

This statement took Kadaj completely by surprise. "No," he replied quickly, "we're… looking for someone." He jumped slightly when it was he the one who received a nudge in the ribs this time.

"Do you guys have money?"

"No."

"You need money to stay at a hotel."

"We don't need money, we don't need hotels, we don't need tea and cookies, and we don't need anything. We're just here looking for someone," said Kadaj, crossing his arms stubbornly and looking away.

"Well, you're not gonna find that someone today. It's already getting dark," said Sei. Loz and Kadaj looked up at the sky; indeed, the sun was beginning to set. Kadaj sighed again.

"_Why_ do you want to help us?" he asked, walking towards her. She cocked her head to the side like a dog who didn't understand what its master was telling it. And yet she was smiling, meaning that unlike the dog, she did know what was going on.

"I don't know." She said, keeping her feet firm on the ground, refusing to leave, even as she noticed Kadaj approaching her dangerously. There was also a smile playing on his face.

Kadaj continued to advance in silence until he stood right in front of Sei. She looked up at him; he had several inches on her, but having him that close had a strange effect on her. She had this urge to touch his skin— Unexpectedly, he leaned towards her making her take a few steps back in surprise; his smile gave a little dangerous air to his person. She caught a gasp in her throat before it came out her lips as she looked at his eyes.

They were green like Loz's, but his pupil… it began to stretch vertically, like a cat's eye. Her own eyes widened slightly before she looked away from his. _There was something about those eyes… something she couldn't quite place…_ Her sight crashed upon the sword he was carrying at his side.

"Warrior?" She asked out loud, looking back into his catlike eyes. His head jerked back with the question; obviously, he didn't know what she was talking about, and with this new distraction, his pupils began to normalize.

"Your sword," she said, motioning to it.

"Oh! N-no… that's… um…" he swallowed.

"C'mon." She said. "You can stay at my house tonight. I'll even help you look for that person tomorrow."

"Do you live alone?" asked Loz. For a moment Sei had forgotten he was there as well.

"No, I live with my brother," she said, smiling and nodding.

Kadaj took a long look at Sei. To her, it was obvious he was debating whether or not to go with her. And his eyes were calculating, like if he was looking at her for weaknesses that he might need to know of just in case things got out of hand later. As in, very big holy-shit the-world-is-ending kind of out of hand.

* * *

And it was the truth; he had willed his pupils to stretch because he wanted to intimidate her into leaving them to their own business. Instead, she'd backed away, but not enough to consider it an off the hook situation. Which meant that either she was completely nuts like the couple in that house they ran out of, or she knew more than she was leading onto. If it was the latter, there was so much trouble they could get into if they followed her; the possibilities were endless…

His train of thought was interrupted; he could feel Loz's pleading look on his back and the girl wasn't helping much either; if _he_ had meant to intimidate _her_ with _his_ eyes, _she_ was doing a better job at freaking _him_ out with those huge, genuine, brown eyes of _hers_. He sighed again. "Where do you live?" he asked, a certain drag in the tone of his voice.

She smiled and began to walk away, motioning for them to follow her; Loz ran to her and began to walk beside her talking happily to her about all the stuff she was carrying in the bags. Kadaj on the other hand, settled himself beside Loz, and kept his mouth shut, listening to Loz talk on and on.

_He doesn't even get the fact that this might be a mistake_, thought Kadaj, frowning. Maybe his name had meant something to her, and now she was taking them to where Big Brother was… What other reason could there be? He didn't believe that this girl wanted to be friendly or nice with him, or Loz, and he knew for sure she wouldn't help. What bothered him the most was that Loz was limping a little, and he himself had a numbing sensation on his left arm, an effect brought upon him by the holy rain of the life-stream that fell after Kadaj had been defeated. With that in mind, it was hard to tell if Loz's strength and speed was still good enough to use in case danger came their way or if it had gone completely useless due to the imbalance of his body; none of the remnants had ever gone through a debilitating situation like the one suffered due to the life-stream rain. At this point in time, he _sooo_ hoped Sei was a total, delusional out-of-her-head human…

* * *

Meanwhile, as Loz babbled on and on, Sei spaced out to her own set of troubles.

She didn't know who these people were, in all honesty, but something told her she did. Otherwise she didn't think she would've helped them to begin with. But her main focus wasn't on Kadaj, or Loz or even herself; it was the fact that Jake was very particular with who got to stay over at their house, and he would _definitely_ be pissed and disapproving on the idea of those two staying over, even for one night…


	6. Second Chance

"…and then you brought them here without having the _slightest idea_ of who they are." Concluded Jake, after assessing Sei's story on why the other two were there. Needless to say, a big scene had exploded as soon as she entered the house and Jake saw that she was being followed by two strangers. Jake's mood hadn't improved when Sei had told him that she had barely met them on the way home.

"I know their names." She replied defensively.

"Do you know anything else?"

"They're looking for someone."

"And besides that?"

"Uh…"

"Yeah." He let a short dry laugh escape his lips.

"Jake, they're newcomers. They're new to the city, they have no where to stay!"

"That's what hotels are for!" Jake was smiling sarcastically as he said this, making him seem creepy indeed, especially as he stood up. He and Sei had been arguing inside the kitchen while Kadaj and Loz were in the living room, sitting on couches right across each other.

"Yeah, that's a good point, thing is, they don't have money either." The girl looked carefully out the door as if making sure that what she was saying was the truth and it didn't in any way embarrass the guys.

"_What kind of idiot travels without money_?" hissed Jake, placing his hands on the table and leaning towards Sei who in return leaned toward him saying; "Please, give them a chance. Just this once. When I bumped into them, I realized there was something about them—"

"Oh, C'omon, Sei!" yelled Jake, throwing his hands in the air and released a much exaggerated sigh, "there's something about _everyone_ in town! The only reason you don't bring them over is because they already have a home, or they think you're some weirdo trying to kidnap them or something!" Kadaj had been looking at his oldest brother; well at least there was no doubt that the girl was insane, after all, to some degree, but matters would've been better if her brother had been in the same predicament.

"Yeah, yeah, but this time, I actually mean it!" she said.

"Sorry Sei, but sometimes enough is enough." Jake walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. "You two," he said, motioning to Kadaj and Loz to follow him to the door, "you're leaving," he added, opening the door for the startled black haired men, who began to stand slowly.

"No, sit down." Sei, followed her brother and closed the door. "You're staying." She looked at her brother pleadingly, she leaned her body against the door as the only obstacle between it and the other two, who obediently sat back down.

"I said that you're _leaving_." Jake made an attempt to reach for the doorknob but Sei pushed his arm away saying "Jake, please don't do this."

"Sei, get out of the way, it's not polite to make uninvited guests leave through the window."

Sei looked at Jake with anger when he mentioned the uninvited part, especially because he knew she had offered to let them stay. "I'm sorry, but they're staying."

"Leaving."

"Staying!"

Kadaj, thinking it was best to keep things out of the danger zone for now, decided to agree with her brother and stood up saying, "Maybe we should just—"

"NO!" yelled Sei, making him sit back down in surprise.

"Sei, we can't do this," Said Jake, in a more concerned tone rather than a lecturing one. He seemed tired, of everything; as if unable to find the strength to fight with his sister any longer. "They're not hurt. The only reason I agreed to help Yazoo was because _he_ was."

"_What_?" asked Kadaj, looking straight at Sei and her brother, both who stared back with confusion. Loz turned his head towards Kadaj; Jake saw that his lips were moving quietly in Kadaj's direction. All of a sudden, the young boy stood up and walked further into the house opening every single door and looking inside, with Loz following each of his movements, his eyes wide open in a desperate attempt to find something… _to find someone_…

* * *

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" At Jake's questioning, Sei ran into the hallway and stopped the other two on their tracks before they touched the door that led to Yazoo's room that was being blocked by Sei's body. "You can't just step into the house like you own the damn place." Jake was really angry by now and was now pulling Kadaj away from Yazoo's room with every intention of kicking him out of his house.

"Did you say Yazoo?" asked Kadaj.

Sei's attention centered on Kadaj. "Answer me, lady," he demanded, struggling to get away from Jake's grip.

"Don't talk to my sister that way!" answered Jake, who tightened his grip around Kadaj.

"Did you?" asked Loz. Sei's dark eyes flew to Loz's face, which was showing anxiety and concern. He tried reaching for the doorknob but Sei's hand got there first and shielded it from his touch. For a moment she hesitated; what if they were the ones that harmed Yazoo? What if they were looking for him to finish him? She couldn't allow it.

"We have to see who's in there," said Kadaj, who somehow had slipped away from Jake's grip and was now standing beside Loz, confronting Sei. Having them so close to her like that was intimidating, but then her eyes caught sight of something. Their eyes were anxious and desperate, full of questions… now where had she seen that look before? And their skin; seemingly smooth and marbled in texture and ashen in color… _She wanted to touch that skin_…

There was an awkward moment of silence, where the only sound that came to Sei's ears was the sound of Jake's pants and her own pulse beating in her ears. Something in her told her it was okay to open the door. She felt her hand tighten around the doorknob and began twisting it, as she pressed her other hand's index finger against her mouth in a "be-quiet" manner. They nodded and then entered the room when she pushed the door open; they stood near the entrance, scanning the room slowly.

Jake walked up to his sister and standing beside her, watched how the other two slowly walked to Yazoo's bed. He was sleeping soundly; it was amazing how he hadn't awakened even with all the noise they had all made.

"Yeah, that's him." Said Loz.

"I… I can't believe it…" whispered Kadaj.

"You're not going to hurt him?" asked Sei, second guessing her decision to let them in.

"_Hurt_ him?" asked Kadaj.

"He's our _Brother_!" said Loz.

* * *

Jake released a dry laugh a second time that afternoon. He was sitting in the kitchen again, with Kadaj and Loz sitting across the table and Sei sitting beside him.

Kadaj and Loz had been telling the story about what they had done; how they were created from Jenova cells, how they attacked Elena and Tseng, how they attacked Big Brother (they didn't mention Clouds name), how they kidnapped the children, how they hypnotized them, the disasters they made at the city and how Kadaj and Loz died.

Sei looked at them surprised. Was she staring at a couple of ghosts? She stood up and tugged at Kadaj's hair.

"OW! What the hell was that for?" he demanded, looking at her furiously.

"But if you died, how come you're here?" she asked.

"Well, a lady told us that we could be given a second chance. And when she told us that, we were planning on coming back and kill Big Brother this time to take revenge on our deaths and Yazoo's as well. But I guess Yazoo never was dead, considering we never saw him on the other side."

"So, you're fully alive?" asked Sei, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Yeah," answered Loz.

"Ok, this is _definitely_ going too far." Jake set his forehead on his hand.

"What makes you say that?" asked Sei.

"I WONDER!" Jake motioned to the two men across from him. "This is crazy! Three people _in_ my house, they're all murderers, and they _died_ and then came back to _life_? What the hell is this?"

* * *

There was silence; Kadaj lowered his head and stared at his knees. _Why had he told them?_ He knew Jake was right; it was crazy for someone to come into your house and just say that they're murderers, and they died and then came back to life. Maybe Sei wasn't the only one who was crazy; maybe they shouldn't have bumped into her in the first place; maybe they shouldn't have followed her home…

"Maybe we should just get Yazoo and leave," Kadaj suggested.

"I _like_ that idea," Said Jake. Sei stared at him taken aback. "You can't do that." She said.

* * *

Jake sighed. The other two stood up and left to Yazoo's room, leaving Sei and her brother alone in the kitchen once again.

"You _can't_ do that." She repeated.

"_Don't_ start with me."

"You know we're no different!" she snapped.

He looked at her. There was a blush of anger on her cheeks. It was true she hardly ever asked for anything, but when she did… he sighed again.

"If they leave because of what they are, then I should leave with them as well, since you don't like murderers in your house."

"Your case was different Sei; you didn't know what you were doing."

"But it all adds to me being like them, don't you think? If you can accept me, why can't you accept them?" She kicked the table's leg and then crossed her hands in her lap. "Are you afraid that they might get out of hand? What if we show them the right way the way you did with me?" she added hopefully. "You led me to the right path. How come you can't do the same to them?"

"Why do you have to…?" Sei looked at Jake when he didn't finish the sentence. He looked at her and began shaking his head. Jake had never seen Sei so determined to let people stay at their house, which in itself meant something; she usually gave up around the time he opened the door. Not only that, he had committed the mistake of judging them and classifying them by something they did in the past, without knowing their true intentions for the future, so in a way he would be contradicting a lot of things he had said to his own sister in the past. Maybe he should just go on with everything; maybe yielding to his sister this time was alright… but there was a lot he had to think about. Simply put, it was hard being the oldest and responsible for the two; a single decision could bring the best or worst consequences forth. If this was some sort of test for him, he knew that if they left, he would fail that test, and she would never forgive him for taking a chance of happiness away… the thought scared him.

He stood up and then went down the hall, without noticing that Sei had followed after him. When they got to Yazoo's room, they found Kadaj and Loz standing next to his bed, staring down at their brother. They seemed to be studing the situation; wondering where to take him and how. Loz seemed worried, above all. But when they saw that Jake was standing at the door with Sei behind him, their emotions were masked with indifference and then Kadaj spoke.

"Don't worry. We'll be out in a second." He began to lift the covers from Yazoo's body, when a hand stopped him. It belonged to Jake, who was staring at him with so much concentration, Kadaj almost backed away. But before anything else happened, Jake motioned for the both of them to follow him out in the hall. They did, allowing Sei to close the door after them.

"Listen, I want you to stay."

"Huh?" It was obvious Kadaj was impressed by Sei's brother's sudden change of mind.

"I'm having a chance of mind… I had a bit of a talk with her," Said Jake, motioning to smiling Sei. "And well…" he hesitated. He was still hesitating… so was this a good idea?

"Does that mean we get to stay?" asked Loz.

"Yeah, you do," uttered Jake after a moments thought, in the smallest of voices he could find. Then in a stronger tone, "But in exchange of that, you two need to do something for me."

Kadaj stared at Jake; he didn't like the way he said that. Loz was nodding furiously and it seemed his head was to fall off any minute.

"Um… I'll go get your rooms ready," said Sei and disappeared further into the hall while the three guys stepped into the living room.

* * *

Kadaj turned and turned in his bed. Yes, it _was_ comfortable… but he had never slept in one. It felt _weird_. He turned a full turn before he gave up and rolled off the mattress. Dragging the covers to the floor with him, he lay down on the carpet and covered himself. That felt much better. He still couldn't take off his mind on why he had given himself and his brothers away so fast; their history was something that he didn't usually share. After all, Sei and Jake were complete strangers, unlike Rufus, who had taken mother, and even then, that man had only been given only the knowledge of what they were planning.

He thought about his intentions when he first came back. He was so full of anger; he lashed out at Loz at first. But then he came to understand that his anger needed to be lashed out at Cloud… _that traitor_… he wanted to take revenge for killing Yazoo and Loz and himself. But neither of them had died. _So what now?_ Was he just going to go on with the deal he, Loz and Jake had made?

"Maybe I should just give up… there's no way I'll find Big Brother anyway." Didn't it take two years to find him the first time? "And besides, I was given a second chance. By the nice lady in pink. By that girl. And her brother. I wonder why. What's my purpose now?" He shook his head. All this was driving him insane; at least even more than he already was. "When Yazoo awakes, we have to talk. We have to figure out what we're going to do next," he thought. He turned a last time, cuddled under the covers and with that thought in mind, fell asleep on the floor.


	7. Dream?

Yazoo opened his eyes as soon as he felt the rays of the sun gently touch his eyelids. He felt his pupil shrink as he opened his eyes, slowly adjusting to the light that hit him directly. He knew he had told the girl that he didn't care if she left the curtains open or closed, but she could at least have had the decency and common sense to _close_ them if she expected him to rest a little more. How long had it been since he last fell asleep? It seemed like a couple of minutes, judging by the location of the sun outside his window. So much for sleeping in. As he continued to blink against the light, awakening further, he became aware that somebody was standing by said window, but it wasn't Sei.

He sat up abruptly, only to catch the person's attention. It snapped its head towards Yazoo, and for a few minutes, the figure stared at him, with strong arms crossed over its chest. Its hair was long, it passed its shoulders, and it was black with red tips. It partly hid its eyes; the human could almost pass by an eyeless creature, until Yazoo noticed a small reflection of the sun on the outside.

"So, you have awakened." It said. It was a he. The male raised his hands in order to tuck the hair covering his face behind his ears. There was a certain similarity between this male and Sei, except this human's eyes were cold and his features hard. Unlike his sister, this one didn't seem all too happy he was feeling better.

Yazoo could only eye him cautiously and nodded in approval.

"Sei told me your name's Yazoo." He continued.

Yazoo nodded again. "And you are?"

"Jake; Sei's brother."

"Ah, yes," said Yazoo, easing the tension on his body a bit. He still didn't trust him, though.

"How are you feeling?"

Yazoo looked at Jake. Not only did this man and Sei seem similar, they were, in a way similar in their attitude too. Or at least in the fact that they asked the same questions. Was this one asking out of genuine concern or just because he thought it was the ideal thing to ask? He wasn't sure, but he answered anyway. "Light headed."

The human nodded, as if thinking about something. "Are you hungry?"

Of course he was; it had been how long since his last meal? He was nodding and he stopped himself; he watched as Jake walked to the door and yelled into the hallway. "Hey! Yazoo's awake! Bring a plate for him."

So, he seemed to be disappointed that he had recuperated, yet he was offering food. If the human wanted to dispose of him as quickly as possible, then why not just kick him to the curb? He was feeling much better now; his back didn't feel as achy as it had a few minutes before when he had spoken to Sei; surely he could fend for himself. Or what, did the human not want to seem rude? "You are too_ kind_," mumbled Yazoo, looking at Jake with narrowed eyes. "You and your sister. You are too kind. I _hate _it." Yazoo didn't know what made him say that; he wasn't one to express his feelings, usually. Jake wasn't like his sister; he gave off an intimidating air of kindness and danger mixed together which resulted very confusing.

* * *

Jake stood by the doorway, looking down at his guest with crossed arms. _No_, he thought after a few seconds. _I don't think it's that, Yazoo. It's not hate._

* * *

The silence in that room grew to be very awkward and suffocating. The only noises heard were the clinking of metal against glass coming from the kitchen. Soon, these ceased, only to be replaced by heavy footsteps coming down the hall.

All of a sudden, Yazoo felt panic caress his being. It was the first time in so long; he had forgotten the uncomfortable feeling of his heart about to burst through his chest. It had never occurred to him that perhaps Jake and his sister knew Big Brother. What if the two people coming were friends of his? He didn't have his weapons; he had left them behind where he was found. Sure he felt much better now, but he still felt light-headed and he could feel his upper body rocking back and forth lightly as a result. He knew his balance was off, which would make him an easy target if by any chance Big Brothers friends decided to fight against him, which was more likely to happen. His eyes flew towards the window; he could stay and see who they were, or he could just jump out the window and run… _somewhere_…

Before he could make up his mind, two people walked into the room, catching Yazoo's attention instantly. The two figures stared back at him, with a smile on each face. Yazoo's heart almost stopped when he realized who they were. His eyes widened and he gripped the blanket so tight, his knuckles turned white.

"What… _What_…" he couldn't speak. His throat was so dry, it hurt to talk.

"Hey there, Yazoo," Said Loz. But it couldn't possibly be him, his hair wasn't silver!

"Missed us?" asked Kadaj. That young man couldn't be Kadaj. No way in _hell_ that could be him!

"I saw you die." Were Yazoo's words before he blinked several times, more to make sure that his eyes weren't playing a trick on him.

"You know, I usually would settle for a 'Yes' to answer my question." Said Kadaj, walking to the bed and handing the plate full of food to Yazoo, who just stared at Kadaj and the plate like them both were some kind of disease he refused to have any contact with. "But I'll feel better if you just take the plate from me." Kadaj added.

Yazoo hesitantly took the plate from him, crossed his legs Indian style and placed the plate before him, still staring at his younger brother in awe. It was obvious to Jake that the guy was thinking this was all a dream. And Yazoo was definitely getting ready for the disappointment of when he woke up and he was alone in the room… or worse, still outside under the rain.

Minutes passed and the silence stretched. Okay, so maybe all this was really happening. _But how?_ Sei had said she and her brother hadn't found anybody else earlier… _so what was this all about?_

"When… what… _how_?" he manage to say.

"They got here yesterday afternoon." Said Jake. He was now standing near the window again, in the exact same position he had been earlier.

"Sei told me nobody else was found besides me." Yazoo said. The tone in his voice carried a hint of stiffness, like if here giving the implication he hated being lied to.

"Yeah, she said that yesterday morning."

_Yesterday_? "How long did I sleep?"

"A whole 24 hours."

Yazoo couldn't believe his ears. OR his eyes. Yesterday… He had awakened; talked to Sei, fell asleep again. Yesterday, Kadaj and Loz were found and brought into this house as well. Yesterday… _a whole 24 hours_… It seemed like only a couple of minutes ago. No wonder his body felt much better.

"Don't worry Yazoo. We're here with you now," said Loz, who had moved beside his brother and reached out to place a hand on his shoulder.

As reflex, Yazoo slapped his hand away and looked hard at the two people his mind told him were his brothers. He instantly cursed to himself and for once regretted having his mistrustful response when he saw that Loz had taken his hand back and looked about to cry.

Loz… he might look big, but inside, he was just a kid. A kid worried for his younger brother. A kid frightened at the thought that his brother had changed… and not in a good way.

"No," said Yazoo. "No, don't cry Loz."

"I'm _not _crying," sobbed Loz.

"Here we go." Kadaj rolled his eyes in exasperation; he'd been watching as the two interacted, and honestly speaking, it seemed like he was fed up with the same routine.

"Shut up," sobbed Loz.

"You shut up!" yelled Kadaj. He looked mad all of a sudden, like if he had been holding on to anger for so long it was unbearable and now the beast had come out.

"There's something wrong with you," said Loz, brushing the tears away, only to make way to new ones. "Ever since we came back, all you've done is get angry. I don't know what your problem is, but I can't take it anymore. You say there's no peace around here, but you're the one that's always causing half the things that get you mad. You're always ruining the quietness with your screams."

**SLAP!** Jake gasped at what he had seen, and took a few more steps closer to the three brothers. Kadaj was standing looking down at Loz, who had lost his balance and came to sit at Yazoo's bed. Loz had his hand on his reddened cheek, more tears running down his face. There was fear in his eyes, as he looked up at his younger brother, whose eyes flared with fury.

"Who do you think you're talking to? So high and mighty?" hissed Kadaj, his pupils widening vertically. "The only thing you're good for is crying. You wouldn't even be able to survive if _I_ wasn't here!"

"Kadaj!" Yazoo was surprised to hear his own voice call out his brother's name firm with authority. Overall, he was surprised to see Kadaj talk like that to Loz, especially since he had never talked like that to any of his two brothers; that sneering attitude of his was always reserved for those who got in their way of achieving a goal, but now it had turned on them… the way he never thought it would. This was definitely a nightmare, it had to be.

Jakes voice made all three realize they hadn't been alone; he had watched everything happen. "The way the three of you talk, is like it's wrong to be loved by your family. Like peace is superficial… and a bad thing."

Kadaj's eyes narrowed further at Jake's comment, but when he saw that the human wasn't intimidated, he simply stated; "Mind your business, human; we're just not meant to get along with others, our own blood included."

"That's not true. Some people just can't get along with others, even if their life depended on it," said Jake, and shrugged slightly to get rid of the tension before leaning on a leg. "But you three are not like that. Not really. You lack _experience_, not _capability_. Being away from other people so long, seeing them all as obstacles to get to Jenova… it's natural that you'd be new to this sort of thing."

Kadaj turned away from Jake to face Loz, who recoiled. Jake continued. "You had a tough childhood being trained to be what you are. Well, making friends and getting along with others isn't easy either. You'll have to go through tough situations to figure things about you with others that you probably didn't even know you lacked."

"Human beings are so predictable and awful liars." Said Kadaj softly. Yazoo's gaze, who had been wandering on the bed sheets, turned to Kadaj's figure. His brother's head was bowed, his arms were stiff and so were his shoulders. His hands were clenched into fists, signs he was looking for a fight. Loz locked his eyes on Jake, waiting to see what would happen.

"You can say that." Said Jake, looking up at the ceiling, "But sometimes it only depends on how positive you are about things. You say that he wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. How do you know that? You know the world doesn't revolve around you. If you want people to get along with you, then you have to be willing to change a few things about yourself to make them feel safe around you. The same goes for that person wanting to get along with you."

"You know our past since a day ago; why haven't you done something to harm us?" said Kadaj, tightening his fists. Yazoo could tell his brother was gritting his teeth so hard, it was a miracle they didn't just break already. He always had been the most volatile of the three.

"There's no point," said Jake, shrugging again and looking at the trio. "What you did in the past makes you a dangerous person, true, but if you died and then came back, then it means you had to change something when you were alive. Just leave the past behind, and concentrate on how to be more kind to people and get along with them. My sister and I will help you; that's why we allowed you to stay here."

Wait a—Jake meant to say his intentions weren't to simply get rid of him and his brothers? "Truly?" asked Yazoo. Stillness was beginning to settle in the room.

Jake nodded. "You know, if you don't want to go, then just stay here."

"You know we can't do that," said Kadaj, his angry voice cutting through the peace; his body turning towards the doorway. "We have to go. _Now_."

"Kadaj, I want to stay here," Loz sniffled. "The ruins scare me." And by the way he was sitting next to Yazoo, it was also obvious he had enjoyed his stay in that house thus far.

"Jake, you said that we're dangerous," Kadaj said, still turned away. "And it's true. You have enough wisdom to understand that your future will depend on your decisions. You see, kind people are clung to. They are sought out and taken advantage of… by people like _us._ There's a reason I didn't want you to know some things yesterday. I… apre-ciate everything you've done on taking care of Yazoo and letting us stay, but I don't want to get you involved. It's not too late. You can still save yourself and your sister if you just let us go now. Because if we stay, that'll change. We don't need more ghosts following us."

"Is this the way you intend to go living?" asked Jake, beginning to lose patience. "Ears plugged? Eyes closed? Hiding, behind your hatred for your past? Is that the only way you can justify shutting yourself from the entire world? What then? Are you simply gonna wait for death? Completely alone?" His voice was rising without him even noticing.

Kadaj smiled, feeling the resentment rising in the human. If he could just get him angry enough to get kicked out… "I told you didn't I? I'm the worst from the worst," he said.

But his plan collapsed when Jake locked up his aggression and refocused his attention to the remnants on the bed. "Yazoo, you said before that you hated the way we treated you. Well, I don't believe it. You don't hate it." Yazoo looked at Jake, narrowing his eyes. Jake continued. "You're just not used to it."

"Stop it." Kadaj's voice was suddenly very close to Jake. He turned his head only to see Kadaj standing a couple of inches away from his body. He was staring into Jake's eyes furiously. "What are you trying to do? Do you look down on us?" he hissed. "Do you pity our miserable circumstances? Is that why you want us here? To make yourself feel better? Don't bother. We never asked for your sympathy. Just let us go and live in your own world. What we do isn't any of your business. I don't want to owe you!"

He looked back at Kadaj; he opened his mouth to tell him he had drawn the wrong conclusion, but before any words came out of his mouth, he felt his neck being wrapped by a cold hand.

"Shut up!" Screamed Kadaj, tightening the grip around Jake's neck. "We don't need your pity! We can handle this on our own! We don't need you!" Yazoo heard a whimper coming from Loz beside him and it was only understandable. Here Jake was, offering them a way out of the life that they knew; the idea itself was frightening, but thrilling too. Maybe a try wouldn't hurt. But as he saw Kadaj's ashen fingers dig into Jake's neck, he himself became afraid of what his brother would do; if he killed Jake, their chance of living a normal life would vanish. They could try on their own, no one ever said they couldn't, but without the guidance of a normal human per say, they would eventually go back to the life they had before. And as he thought all of this, the need hold his brother back overwhelmed him, yet he couldn't find the strength to get up from the bed and stop him, and his salivary glands had gone on vacation so he couldn't even utter a sound.

"Why do you care so much about us anyway?" Kadaj cocked his head, positioning his eyes to be at level with Jake's for a good challenge. "It's crazy! Most people would rather have nothing to do with us, but you… you're not afraid…You…" he couldn't finish. He blinked several times thinking he had to be hallucinating; Jake was still looking at Kadaj, but he hadn't made any attempt to make the remnant let go of him. He was still standing straight up, his arms crossed, looking at him coolly. No challenge in his eyes whatsoever.

Kadaj's expression began to change, his eyes reflected wonder, his mouth moved like if he was having a confusion tick, and his nostrils moved as if he was having trouble breathing. Maybe he wasn't being aggressive enough; in an attempt to keep the antagonism present, he tightened the grip on Jake's throat even more and moved him around like if he were to slam him on the wall, but it seemed he couldn't find the motivation to do it anymore. _I could kill him right now_, he thought, _But something's not letting me_.

Jake was careful to sound slightly curious as he prompted the remnant to finish his thought. "Me what?"

Kadaj found it amazing how the human's question wasn't insulting. "You don't give up…" whispered Kadaj. It was painful to talk; he felt a knot in his throat.

"Well, when change is underway, you're not supposed to give up," said Jake.

That's when the trio realized they lacked something important. Something that required effort to gain and yet at this very instant, it was offered to them like free samples of food people gave away in the supermarket. The opportunity to have friends, to get along with others, to leave all that violence behind, to start a new… to _change_.

Kadaj felt his hand let go of Jake's neck and backed away. His eyes were stinging with hot tears. Nobody had ever offered him a new life along with a friendship. Jenova spoke of a future where they were all happy, but… her promise dulled in comparison to what Jake was offering at this very moment. "It was my sister's idea…" He heard Jake say. _His sister_… the insane one suddenly didn't really seem so anymore. She was part of this new life, which in itself was insane, but also very thrilling. He looked back at his brothers.

Loz had tears running down his face as usual, but Yazoo… he was calm as ever. What was wrong with that guy? No matter what happened, he always showed himself indifferent, and this time was the same. Was he going to refuse and fight back the change? Should he too? Then a small smile broke on Yazoo's face; it was genuine, reassuring and so stunningly beautiful, Kadaj felt like he was about to collapse onto his knees. "You're right." Kadaj said. "Maybe… It's time to leave the past behind." It was going to take some time to get used to a new life; he was going to have to start all over, from scratch. All he knew about aggression, weapons, defenses, murder… all of it was going to have to be put away. He began to shake because for once in a very long time he was afraid again, unsure of the future…

He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. "It's okay. Everything's going to be fine now." Jake looked at him, as he squeezed his shoulder reassuringly like a father would his son. Kadaj only nodded, and smiled sadly. For now he would have to pretend he was normal, just like everyone else. Maybe one day all that pretending would be over, and he could actually _be_ normal…

* * *

_I can't believe this is the same Kadaj from a couple of minutes ago_, thought Jake as he walked back to the bed with Kadaj following. _The one… whose cold eyes gave me chills…_

* * *

Things went back to being peaceful in a matter of minutes and a few words. Yazoo was finally able to eat his cold food, clumsily. Loz had offered to help, but Jake shook his head and told him that he was having trouble eating because of how long he'd gone without using his arms. They all talked softly, as if making up for all the screams and loud voices that had been heard earlier.

Once he was finished eating, Yazoo decided to give walking a try. His balance was a bit off at first, having to hold onto Jake or Loz for support and even the wall; as Jake had said, it made him appear drunk. It had been a wild idea, he realized, to even think he would've been able to bolt out of the window earlier, when he'd felt threatened. He would've been an easier prey, with broken bones and such likely to have resulted as consequence for his inability to fully control his body at will. He could only feel thankful that the feeling of wariness had been in vain, because he felt unsure as to how long it would go before he could even behave like the sober being he was.

But as time passed, he was able to walk normally again. As his body regained its use, the slight ache still present in his limbs and back began to disappear gradually, until finally, his body was so warmed up, he could sit, stand, jump and such without much effort. He was reminded by Jake that he should take it easy for another few hours, but still walk around to ensure his strength and recovery.

A bit later, Jake examined his face, neck and wrists for the burn marks; he was unable to hide his surprise to find that they had healed wonderfully. "I guess aloe really does wonders." A sudden thought went through Yazoo's head. "There is something I don't quite understand," he said cautiously picking his words so another fight wouldn't break out. "Jake mentioned that what we did make us dangerous. He also mentioned mother. How did he know…?"

"Kadaj told him and his sister last night." Said Loz, also cautiously. He had been sitting aside like a little boy waiting on his friend at a nurse's office.

Kadaj ignored how cautious they were being around him, and decided to change the subject. "Speaking of whom, where is she?" he asked. "I don't feel her presence anywhere in this house."

An almost scary grin spread across Jake's face. "Well," he said, "remember about that deal we made yesterday?"

* * *

When the bell rang, Sei accompanied her friends to the entrance, and then walked home. Her mind was on how crazy that day had been, when she caught a glimpse of a person walking back and forth near the edge of the glowing forest.

It was tall, and it had long silver hair that trailed behind… it was funny, it almost looked like—"_Yazoo?"_ she called.

He turned his head to her, his green eyes finding her brown ones. "Greetings."

"What are you doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be in bed resting?" she asked, hurrying up to his side. She could feel a wide smile on her face; she couldn't believe he was already up and walking!

"I was tired of being in bed. Your brother told me you were in school and that you took this way to walk home, so I decided to wait for you and walk together." He answered, motioning way for her to walk. Ah, so that was the reason. _Damn Jake_, she thought_, the_ _man opens his eyes and instead of letting him rest a couple more days, he gets him to work._

"Well okay, thank you." She said, a slight blush on her cheeks. _I'm going to kill you, Jake_. "I hope you didn't wait here all day."

"No." He said, following after her into the forest. "I explored and found a few interesting places around here."

"Really?" And she meant it; he'd actually gone exploring? Like it was no trouble at all? There was something odd about all of this; Jake had better not have threatened him. "Like what kind of places? Can you show me?"

To her disappointment, he was shaking his head. "Not now. We have to go back home." Well, first things first, she guessed. Or maybe it was payback, for refusing to answer his questions the day before. When Sei fell silent beside him, he added, "Try not to look so disappointed; I am sure there will be other times."

"Okay." She looked up at him with a smile and couldn't help but notice he was really tall. The top of her head probably barely reached his shoulder. And she couldn't help but notice he was handsome too, especially since now he looked healthier and stronger than when she and her brother first found him. There was something about him, though, that had her wondering, and it took her a while of staring to realize that he wasn't wearing the clothes Jake had lend him to sleep in; he wasn't wearing his own clothes either. Instead, he seemed to be wearing …_ black dress pants and a white shirt with a tie_?

Not that it looked bad on him; she recognized those clothes as the one's Jake used when he wanted to go to formal parties and reunions and such, and because Jake was a little more muscular than Yazoo, the shirt and pants fit him a little loose, but he looked comfortable in them. The tie that should've been snug around his neck was actually now hanging from his shoulders loosely as well, and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone, which just served to indicate he was indeed in a laid-back mood. Sei raised an eyebrow and began to ask, "Why are you—?"

"You brought my brothers home, am I right?" interrupted Yazoo. They both looked at each other, and she laughed. At what, she didn't know, but decided to answer his question first.

"Yeah. Were you surprised?" His eyes narrowed, not in a bad way; it was as if he were laughing silently.

"Very. They said that they had colored their hair so they could avoid recognition by the people in town when they were out and about the place."

She laughed again, this time remembering that Anna and Mimi had told her to let them know if she found out anything on the hair dye and towel being stolen case. Boy, were they going to think it weird once she told them… but wait, maybe it was better if they didn't know what was going on. She nodded; yeah that was the safest alternative.

They saw her house and then went inside. "Jake! I'm home!"

"He's not here," answered Loz, from the couch. He was wearing one of Jake's muscle shirts, and he also seemed in a very laid back mood. Well, wasn't it wonderful; all of them seemed to be adjusting just fine.

"Oh? Where is he?"

"He's with—"

"Hey, do you know how to cook?" Interrupted Yazoo, walking into the kitchen. "I am still hungry," He added.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec." Sei took off her backpack and put it next to Loz and then walked into the kitchen to find Yazoo getting pans ready.

Sei cooked for five, and then served Loz, Yazoo and herself. She had an interesting time showing them and explaining the basics on thanking for the food before eating a meal. When they finished eating, Jake wasn't back yet from wherever he was and Kadaj was still nowhere to be seen.

"So, where are Jake and Kadaj again?" asked Sei.

"Oh, he's with—"

"I hear voices outside; I believe that is them." Everyone shushed and listened; indeed, two voices were close to the house. It sounded a lot like Jake and Kadaj. It also sounded like they were in a middle of an argument.

"Wonder what's going on…"

At that moment, the main door slammed open and Jake yelled, "Wait! Kadaj! _Listen to me!_"

"Silence! You think it's fun to be pushed around like if I were an object? Well, I'll tell ya, it ain't!" Yelled Kadaj. They were in the living room now. Sei stood up and headed towards the room those two were in, with Loz and Yazoo following her, alarmed.

"Of course not! Well… Maybe it was a little bit fun, but that's not the point!" Said Jake, between breaths. "You need to get education to get a career!"

"I don't _need _a career!" Kadaj whirled around to face Sei's older brother whom he was trying to run away from earlier. "In fact, not having a career _is_ my career! And I'm very good at it!"

"Hi! What's with all the ruckus?" Everyone turned to see the only female in the house.

Sei in turn noticed that Kadaj was also wearing black dress pants with a white shirt and tie, but unlike Yazoo, he didn't look comfortable at all; the shirt he was wearing looked bulky and bunched up, and his pants were too long; the tie seemed to be strangulating him and half the collar was pulled up over his chin. The image would've been comical if it weren't for the fact that his eyes were blazing with anger and his face was literally red with the emotion. And then it seemed as if hell was about to open it's gates when the remnant pointed accusingly at Jake and yelled, "_This sick _fuck_ put our identity at risk today!"_

"What?" her eyes widened at this piece of information then she looked at her brother. "_HOW_?" Now she too was yelling.

Jake rolled his eyes at how overly dramatic the situation had turned and sighed. Before he could say anything however, Yazoo's voice drifted from the doorway, calm, cool and soothing as always.

"Oh, I forgot to mention it before, Sei." The mentioned girl turned to him, a questioning look in her face. Yazoo smiled slightly and then added, "Starting next Monday, he and I will be the new students at your school."


	8. Start

Saturday morning started crazier than any other day since the Trio had officially moved into the house. Sei had been cuddled inside her bed, dreaming absolutely nothing in particular when someone jumped on top of her bed and began jumping up and down.

"Wake up!" a voice yelled. The one who was jumping up and down kept doing it. "Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP!"

"Huh? What… When…?" asked Sei, slowly opening her eyes and sitting up in her bed.

"Sei, its 12:45 which is to say time for BREAKFAST!" Yelled an exited Kadaj, nearing his face towards Sei while still standing on top of her bed.

She looked at him with sleepy annoyance and then fell back into her pillow and cuddled again. She was so not in the mood to get out of bed yet. "No, no, _NO_!" yelled Kadaj, getting her shoulders and shaking her furiously. "Get up, _delinquent_! Your _fair protector_ has summoned the _graceful prince_ to come and wake you!"

"Fair Protector?" asked Sei, looking up at him, now wide awake, thank you. "Graceful Prince?" Was Kadaj on drugs?

"He means your brother has told him to come and wake you," said a voice at the door. Sei and Kadaj turned to see Yazoo leaning against the doorway with a hand on his waist.

"What does he want me for?"

"Weren't you listening?" hissed Kadaj. "All that wasted breath for nothing! I didn't do all that jumping and yelling so you could take it for granted, you know!"

"Kadaj, settle down." Yazoo sent a warning glance his way before continuing. "He wants you to wake up because he said we were going to a place to buy clothes for us."

"Oh." Was her response. Yeah, she remembered now that Jake had mentioned it the night before. After a night of non-stop arguing about the scholar plans Jake had for the remnants, they had spent most of the night talking, playing card games and getting to know each other a little further. Staying awake until four in the morning with her new friends was awesome, but she wished she could have a little more quality time with her bed.

"Hey, how come all of your clothes are black?" Sei turned to see that Kadaj had disappeared from her side only to have reappeared near her open closet. He was looking at some pants he had pulled out with a curious gaze. "And what's with the chains on the pants?" he added.

"Interesting." Yazoo had walked all the way into her room and was standing by her dresser; in his hands he held a bracelet with silver bullets.

"Oh, I _like_ that," said Kadaj, dropping the pants to the floor and running to Yazoo. Both examined the bracelet with certain amusement.

"Ok, guys go tell my brother I'll be out in a se—"

"Wonder what's in this drawer," interrupted Kadaj, reaching out for the top drawer of her dresser.

"Out of the room!" Sei yelled, tackling Kadaj and dragging him out the door. She closed it and then turned to the room to see Yazoo still in it looking around with his eyes.

"So," he said, shifting his weight to a leg and dangling the bracelet on his index finger like if it were a mini lasso, "do you want me to turn away, cover my eyes or lie on your bed and watch while you change?"

Sei opened the door and signaled for him to leave.

* * *

"C'mon, tell me why all of your clothes black," begged Kadaj.

"I like Black." Sei answered.

"Really? ME TOO!" He and the other four were heading downtown in Jake's car to buy clothes. There had been a big hassle about who was sitting where, but it ended up with Jake as the driver, Loz beside him, Kadaj and Yazoo in the back with Sei between them. They were going towards a small building, but big enough to be considered a Plaza. There were around 9 stores all different types. They parked in front of a dark store with the name of it above it in black and red letters; D.A.R.K**.**

All five got off the car and looked at it. The windows were tinted dark purple to add a mysterious air to it, and the doors were open. The five of them walked closer, and then the Trio slightly gasped in amazement. Dark clothes hanged from the black and red walls. Blue and green rays of light made the store look almost magical. Several objects were displayed on counters running horizontally along the lower walls; key chains, backpacks, shoes, posters, accessories, CD's, crazy hair dye, wigs, movies and other things too good to be true. A song could be heard, softly but playing heavily, an enchanted voice singing the lyrics.

They stood there petrified for a few seconds until Kadaj said "WOO HOO!" raised his hands above his head and ran all the way in like a crazy monkey.

Jake and Loz hurried after him, leaving Sei and Yazoo to walk in slowly and start looking at the things they would like to buy. Yazoo stopped in front of a shirt and looked at it for a moment before he began to take off his own. Sei was taken aback by his boldness that it took effort to ask, "Uhm… what are you doing?

"I want to know if it fits me," he said, using a duh-tone.

"There's a dressing room in the back, you can try them on there," She explained. He looked at her and then looked around at the few people who had turned to watch him and see what he was up to. He put his shirt back on and said, "Yeah, I should probably use the dressing rooms."

She smiled and nodded. She helped him pick clothes she thought would look good on him, and from time to time, suggested accessories for this or for that. She noticed he was a thinker; for everything he touched, he looked it over from end to end and if he liked it, he took it.

Sei tried to make conversation with him, but every time she opened her mouth to say something, he looked at her, and then she thought better of it and kept her mouth shut. Those green eyes of his were awesome, but in the strangely lit store, they resulted scary, and he almost seemed to be capable of knowing what she was going to do before she even did it.

"You can't catch me!" yelled Kadaj. He ran by them both with Loz and Jake chasing after him. She wondered why for a few seconds until she noticed Kadaj was wearing a skirt; Jake thought skirts were inappropriate for men like for women, unless the length went below the knee, for females. Sei had never complained about it; she hardly ever wore skirts to begin with. All that fluff wasn't her thing; being careful to close her legs neatly side by side, pull it down when the wind blew and sit still so others couldn't see her underwear. She liked to sit however she wanted; legs crossed or open. She liked to move a lot and pants offered freedom that skirts couldn't.

"Kadaj, come back here!" Yelled Jake. He was determined to get Kadaj out of that skirt no matter what it took. He jumped with tremendous impulse and tackled the little guy onto the floor. Then with Loz's help, he dragged him back to the dressing rooms. Sei looked back at Yazoo; it seemed he had ignored the whole thing.

"Is he always like that?" She asked.

"Only when he thinks it is time for fun and games." He replied. "May we go to the dressing rooms now?" he added.

She led the way and picked a well lit room for him. On the continuous room, she could hear a lot of banging against the walls and grunts; Loz and Jake were struggling with Kadaj. "_HEY_!" Kadaj said all of a sudden in a very loud voice. "Get your hands outta there! Ima join sexual-harrasmentals-annonymus!"

"What are they doing in there?" She wondered, blinking.

* * *

"How does this look?"

Sei turned to see Yazoo emerge from the dressing room and stood there looking at her. He was wearing black pants with front, back and leg pockets, removable chain straps, oval eyelet accents, red stitch, and a zip fly with button and drawstring closure. They weren't baggy like it was the usual style of the store, but they were loose enough on him to provide comfort. Not only that, but they also made him seem thinner and taller.

"Um… you… you look… fine…" she stuttered, blinking her eyes.

He smiled at her and trusting her judgment, decided he would take them.

He went on to pick more clothing items, shirts and pants alike and "modeled" for her. By now, the store clerks had come to see what the whole fuss was about in the dressing room Kadaj, Loz and Jake were in, and after having a quiet talk with Jake, decided they would overlook the matter. Instead of returning to work, some of the D.A.R.K. staff had stayed behind and along with Sei, helped Yazoo with suggestions on outfits, before they moved on to shoe wear.

There were many shoes and boots that were flashy with studs, belts, chains and numerous metal decorations, and whilst Yazoo had taken their word on clothes, he decided to follow his own instinct on a pair of bare knee-height black leather boots, much like the ones he already had, except these felt a bit heavier, and the texture wasn't so faded looking.

"There, isn't this _much better_ than before?" asked Jake. Sei, Yazoo and the staff turned. The man was holding Kadaj's shoulder firmly. "Oh, Wow!" said Sei, looking at Yazoo's younger brother.

He was wearing black cargo shorts; white stitching detail with accents of silver tone D-rings, eyelet grommets, chains and zippers. He was smiling weakly; apparently, his dream of cross dressing had vanished by force. "Is the little dude gonna model for us too?" asked a store worker. Kadaj looked about to tell him off, but remained silent when Jake gave him a shoulder squeeze to warn him.

"Nah, kids fine; we got it all settled in the dressing room," reassured Jake, before thanking them for their help.

"Cheer up Kadaj; you may like skirts, but you look way better in those pants." Sei's comment was backed up by the store owners and Jake; even Yazoo was nodding thoughtfully.

His face brightened and then he flashed them all a grin before walking into the store to check out the shoes. Meanwhile, it was Loz's turn to get what he wanted. Yazoo and Sei stood near Kadaj in case he decided to run off and do something stupid, but their looking after needed some work; they were looking at a shirt, suddenly Kadaj came up behind them and said, "Guys, help me here, this is kinda tight."

Sei and Yazoo turned; Yazoo's eyes widened and his color drained; Sei started laughing uncontrollably.

Jake came their way wondering why Sei was laughing so hard and also to tell them that Loz was done picking what he wanted. "What's going… Holy sh—, _KADAJ!_ Take that corset off!"

Again he chased after Kadaj this time with the help of the workers in the store. It didn't take much to tire him out; the corset was on so tight that it was hard for him to breathe. After struggles, they managed to take it off and he was breathing in large gulps of air.

"Speak to us, brother." Said Yazoo, kneeling down next to him and smirking like his life depended on it.

"Those things are so dangerous…" Kadaj's statement earned him a slap upside the head from Jake.

"C'mon lets go." They stepped outside the store with everything they had bought, and the three brothers wearing new clothes.

Jake was opening the trunk of his car when…"Hey, where'd Kadaj go?" asked Sei.

"Oh no…" Jake turned into the store searching for him with his eyes.

"Isn't that him?" asked Loz.

"Where?"

Yazoo saw him too, but his hands were still full with bags to point. So instead he read the store's name. "Victoria's Secret."

* * *

Jake's eyes and Sei's widened as they looked at each other for a fraction of a second. In a minute they put all the bags inside the car and all of them ran into the lingerie store. By the time they did though, Kadaj had a panty on top of his pants Super Man style and was adjusting a bra over his chest.

When he heard footsteps behind him, he turned and said "Look! I have boobs!"

The chasing started immediately with Jake launching himself in an attempted tackle that failed since Kadaj moved out of the way quickly and pulled another panty over Jake's head like a helmet.

Kadaj started laughing and ran around the store while the workers there started freaking out at how much mess he was causing. Yazoo began chasing after him as well, being tired of Kadaj's sudden urge to do silly stuff and ridiculize himself and the others. Kadaj felt his presence and ran away; Yazoo ran behind him but when they passed by a display window, his flying silver hair got caught in the hand of one of the display dolls who was dragged out of its place and into the whole mess.

The hand was still in his hair, but the rest had fallen into the floor and shattered. Yazoo stopped when he felt a certain heaviness on his hair and Loz offered to help him untangle the hand; Kadaj took this as an opportunity to quickly adjust a pink bra over Loz's chest who emitted a helpless yelp and stared down at it with surprise. He tried to take it off, but he didn't want to tear the thing off, and so Yazoo returned the favor by helping him unclip the bra from behind.

It was a funny view indeed, and Kadaj was laughing so hard, he didn't notice Sei come up behind him, grab him by the waist and drop him to the floor pinning his shoulders with her knees.

"Alright," said Jake, struggling to catch his breath. Sei was laughing once again, but she had her attention focused on the youngest remnant, in case he decided to try and rid himself of her. It wouldn't be that hard, to be honest; she'd won him over because of the element of surprise, but it would be pretty easy for him to just throw her aside and run off again. Instead, he remained where he was, a strange glint of lust in his eyes, which managed to make Sei feel uncomfortable. Jake and the others got to him before he tried anything, and between them all, freed him from the bra and panty. Jake excused himself with the store staff on their behalf and offered to pay for the damage, but the manager was so exasperated, he demanded they stepped out before he called the authorities.

* * *

"So, there goes _all_ day." Said Jake, sighing as he turned the engine on. He turned on his seat to check if everyone was there and then asked if anyone was hungry.

"Can we eat out?" asked Sei.

"Yeah." Replied Jake.

They drove around the city looking for a restaurant with not so many people, until they found a small cookout-like place. There was a small tent with people under it cooking; outside the tent, there were a few tables; it was like a place where people could eat outside and enjoy the nice weather of the afternoon. There were a few fires to replace the sun light that was leaving since it was already getting dark. The light was dim and nice, almost giving the air of a campsite and, most importantly, there weren't many people there. They decided it would be nice to eat at that place.

"Ok, so were gonna eat here and…" Jake stopped. "Oh no, _not again_." Kadaj was gone.

"How is it possible for him to just _leave_ without us noticing?" asked Yazoo, a bit of irritation dragging his words.

"You're his brother, you should know." Mumbled Jake.

They heard giggles, and Yazoo whirled around towards the noise. He sighed, and walked towards his younger brother, who by now had two female teenagers at his side, one under each arm, and whispering things in their ears that made them laugh. "Excuse me." Yazoo pulled Kadaj away from them and walked off, dragging him along without any further explanation.

They all sat down at a table a bit far from the rest—for Kadaj's own good—and ordered burgers. It was a good meal; they sat there and enjoyed each other's company for a few moments. Those lovely moments were interrupted by the young boy who kept talking too much and couldn't sit still.

"I knew I should've brought a rope," hissed Jake.

"How come your brother doesn't settle down?" asked Sei.

Yazoo and Loz shrugged.

"How come who when where who what?" asked Kadaj, standing up and hopping around the table on one foot.

"Honestly, I have _never_ before seen my brother behave like this," Yazoo said thoughtfully. "Loz, do you think he got a hold of something he was not supposed to?"

"Not that I know of," Loz replied, munching on the second burger. "He was like that when I woke up."

"Oh my…" gasped Sei, covering her mouth with her hand as a light blush caressed her cheeks.

The guys turned to see what had caused that reaction on her, and then they too felt embarrassed. Kadaj was table-dancing for the two girls from earlier and a few more had gathered to see what was going on. He would've continued his stripping act if Yazoo hadn't also climbed up the table and drag him down with an arm around his younger brother's neck.

"Sorry girls, but you will have to wait until next time!" said Kadaj in mock resignation.

"There will _not_ be a next time," hissed Yazoo.

Kadaj shrugged. "Eh, well, at least I got some money."He waved a couple of bills in Jake's face. "See? I don't need school. I can fend for myself really well just dancing on high things and getting naked for the human girls."

Jake extended his palm in a "give it over" gesture. His eyes also reflected that he hadn't changed his mind school wise.

"Hey, I earned it with my sexy abilities!" said Kadaj. "If you take it, you're stealing."

"Kadaj." Yazoo's grip tightened.

"Okay, okay. HERE. Jerk. JERK! I'll see you in court!"He twisted like a tornado in Yazoo's grip and pushed him away, freeing himself before walking away to the car, fuming. The girls were laughing nervously as they took the money back and walked away stealing glances at Kadaj.

"I say we go back home," Said Jake rubbing the back of his neck. The others, except Kadaj, agreed.

* * *

Sei took the remote control one more time and scanned trough the channels of the TV. "I can't believe there's nothing to watch…" she complained.

"Settle down, you _peep squeak_!" Jake was shouting at Kadaj, who was by now climbing the walls and "shooting spider webs", that were actually little paper air planes he had done a while ago.

"_I don' wanna_!" He said, jumping behind the couch, where he uttered little snarky noises and then fell silent.

It was quiet for a few minutes, to the point where everyone began to think he had passed out behind the couch, until Kadaj jumped back out, slapped Yazoo upside the head and yelled "SHUT UP!".

Yazoo reached back, grabbed his younger brother by the arm and with annoyance flashing in his eyes, pulled him over the other side and onto the floor. Kadaj, despite the hyperactivity in his body, had managed to get a hold of Yazoo's collar and so he flipped his brother down beside him. In a fraction of a second, the remnants were rolling on the floor engaged in what seemed to be something close of a wrestle. Seeing this, Jake rolled his eyes and stalked to the kitchen.

"Can you think of anything better than watching real life wrestling?" asked Sei, leaning forward to look after the brothers.

Loz grinned and shook his head. "This is how we used to train…" he paused and blinked in his brothers' direction as Yazoo flipped Kadaj onto his belly, twisted his arm back and pinned him to the ground using his knee; Kadaj was writhing here and there, screaming at Yazoo to get off his back and to let go of his arm because he was going to break it, whilst the older remnant poked his ear, face and head teasingly. "Sort of… actually this has nothing to do with training," added Loz. Sei sighed; well that was good, because all of this was really embarrassing. She could hear her brother making a lot of racket in the kitchen, and she wondered what he was looking for. _Probably a rope to tie Kadaj down._

"_**SEI**_!" yelled Jake. Immediately, Yazoo and Kadaj stopped struggling; Loz stood up in a flash and Sei turned to the kitchen.

"Yes?"

"Come here, please," he said. She obeyed warily; she had a bad feeling about this. The Trio followed her and stood at the kitchens doorway.

"Sei, I can't find the box of chocolates we bought last week. Where'd you leave them?" asked Jake.

The others noticed all the counters were open and everything that had been inside was now lying on piles on top of the table.

"They should be over here," said Sei walking towards a cabinet that apparently Jake had ignored. Half way there though, she stopped abruptly and looked in the trash can. She let out a short laugh and reached into it, extracting a box with the letters "3 Musketeers" in bold red and blue letters.

"This what you looking for?" she asked with a wide smile on her face as Jake looked unbelievable at the empty box.

"Are they all…?" He swallowed. "…_gone_?"

Sei looked into the trash can and began extracting wrappers of the mentioned piece of chocolate. "3… 7…. 11…" she counted the wrappers. "20, yup, all gone." She informed.

"Oh, _that__**.**_" Everyone looked back at Kadaj. "You see, I woke up really early today in the morning, and I was feeling hungry. Since I didn't wana wake you guys up yet, I looked around and found those. I tried them, and they were so good, I didn't realize I had eaten them all until… well… they were gone." He smiled innocently.

There was a moment of silence for respect to the "killed" chocolate bars. Then Sei lifted her hand and covered her mouth as she made a sound that sounded like a sneeze. Loz was about to say "bless you" when he noticed her shoulders were shaking; she was laughing. And then she took in a deep breath and laughed louder and harder; her laugh seemed to be contagious, since the Trio laughed too. Jake just stared at them; he looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Kadaj's hyperactivity made sense all of a sudden. As they laughed, they made a mental note to add "3 Musketeers" or any other chocolate to the list of things Kadaj shouldn't take.

* * *

Ya, so now chapter 8 is concluded. I had fun writing this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it.

**(DA36)**


	9. Set Up

"Hey little sister… wake up." Sei opened her eyes Monday morning to find Jake's face a few inches from hers.

"Get your face outta my face." She mumbled, closed her eyes and turned in her bed to face away from him. She felt the covers fly away suddenly and instinctively, her legs curled trying to replace the gone warmth. Since it didn't happen, she sat up half asleep, grabbed her covers, and pulled them over herself again.

"You're late," Jake said.

"Mhm," she mumbled.

"No, really; it's already 8:30. The guys are in school already."

It took a while for Sei to digest this piece of information; she opened her eyes and jumped out of bed. She almost killed herself when her leg got caught in the covers and tripped her.

"Why are you barely waking me up?" she demanded, swinging the closet door open and grabbing clothes, throwing them onto the bed in a furious attempt to dress herself decently for a tardy day.

"Hey, I've been trying to wake you up for at least half hour!"

"Damn!" she said. She walked into the restroom, changed, brushed her teeth, came out, brushed her hair and grabbed her back pack. "_DAMN!_" she repeated. The way things were going, she wasn't going to have time to eat breakfast. She took the lunch bag from her brother and ran out the front door. "Call them and let them know I'm on my way!" As she disappeared into the distance, Jake sighed.

Yazoo emerged from the hallway, rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand. "Is something wrong?" he asked. Jake smiled at him and shook his head. "No, everything's fine. But it's good you woke up; are you feeling well rested?" Yazoo nodded. "Good, you need to start getting ready for school."

The remnant nodded again and headed into the hallway again. Then he stopped and walked back. "Is Sei taking a shower? Or will she go in after we're done?

The half-grin on Jake's face was unreadable. "Don't worry about her." _I wonder when she will realize I was just kidding_, he thought.

* * *

Sei sat in her desk, adrenaline and fury pumping through her veins. She couldn't believe she had been tricked; of all the things Jake could've done to her, this prank… well it ranked somewhere in the middle. But still; she'd gotten to school in record time… only to realize she was early. She would've gone back to strangle her brother, but by the time she came back, the class would've already started.

She had her friends next to her, and was telling them on what had happened with Kadaj and their crazy Saturday; they knew a little about the remnants, that they were from out of the city, and such, but Jake had told her to tell everyone that those three were Jake's friends from another country, looking to settle in a nice city. Loz was the eldest of the brothers, and he was taking care of Yazoo and Kadaj, much like Jake was taking care of Sei. As bogus as the made-up story had sounded the first time Jake had mentioned it, it wasn't entirely a lie, not really.

She was barely getting into detail about when they came back home, when the teacher walked in announcing; "listen up class, we have two new transfer students."

Sei and the rest of the class hushed up. Two people walked into the classroom, while a third character stayed by the door. "You see the one with short hair?" whispered Sei to her two friends. They nodded. "That's Kadaj." The other two studied him.

"He's hot," said Anna.

"And the other one is Yazoo?" asked Mimi.

"Yeah."

"Introduce yourselves," voiced the teacher.

Kadaj and Yazoo said their names; Kadaj proceeded by describing himself as Hot, Sexy and Irresistible. Yazoo followed when he described himself as Insane, Non-sympathetic and Sadist. As the rest of the class watched them in shock, Anna sat back and grinned at them. "Least they're blunt," she said. "Looks like these boys ain't no easy boring trip." Sei slapped her forehead on her palm. She had a feeling today was going to be long.

"Mister, are you in this class too?" asked the teacher, referring to the character on the door.

"Oh, no, but I was wondering if I could stay?" Sei recognized Loz's voice. "You know, to watch over—"

"No, he came here to walk us and make sure we made it to the right class," Yazoo interrupted. The teacher blinked at him and then at Loz and smiled.

"Well, as you can see, they will be okay now, so you may leave."

"Sei! HEY SEI!" Voiced Kadaj. She looked up. He was waving madly at her with both his arms.

"LOOK! I'M _IN_ YOUR CLASS!" He began jumping up and down. "AND I'M LIKE YOU! FROM NOW ON, I'LL BE DOING HOMEWORK TOO!" _Someone come in and take him away!_ Thought Sei.

"Okay, looks like _someone's_ exited to be here," said the teacher, closing the door when he finished dismissing Loz. "Now, where will I seat you two?" The teacher looked around. "Kadaj, how about you sit in front of Kurosawa? Kurosawa? Could you raise your hand, please?"

Sei saw Anna raise her hand lazily.

"Now, Yazoo…"

"_This_ looks like a good spot." Yazoo was standing right upon the student seated in front of Sei with a threatening position.

"That seat is already taken." Said the teacher. "Unless he would like to move?"

"_Surrender your position_," hissed Yazoo placing his left hand on the desk, putting his right hand on his pocket and glaring at the student. Sei blushed in embarrassment. The student nodded jerkily and jumped up, taking all his stuff all the way to the other side of the room. Yazoo sat down with a satisfactory smile on his face as he looked at his back neighbor and then glanced at Kadaj who glanced back with the same grin.

"Yazoo, Kadaj; these are my friends, Anna Kurosawa and Mimi Teki." Sei introduced them. They said hello to each other.

"Okay; announcements," continued the teacher, "besides these new students, some people will come and see how this school works. Maybe they will come into this class, maybe they won't. Either way, be sure to give a good example and make me look as good as ever, understood?" The class laughed along with the instructor. Finally, the tardy bell rang, and the whole class started settling down. "Ready for the class to start?" Without waiting, the teacher walked up to the chalk board and began scribbling down the beginning of that day's notes.

The students took out their books a bit lazily. Then class started.

* * *

"You're home! Finally! I was starting to worry!" That was the greeting they received from Loz as soon as the three opened the door. It seemed he had been waiting by the door like a dog waiting for his master to come home. "I thought these two had after school detention."

Sei eyed Loz warily and laughing, she inquired, "Why?"

"Well, school ends at 3:45, and it's already 5:30! That's a long time to make me worry."

Sei shook her head; "I mean why you thought these two would give us any trouble?" Loz frowned at her questioningly, as if wondering if it wasn't obvious already.

"The reason why we took so long was 'cause her friends wouldn't let us go," said Kadaj tiredly slumping on a couch. "And then we still had to walk over here." A newspaper that had been covering Jake's form was now being folded and settled on the living room table.

"So, how was your first day of school?"

"Long," said Yazoo dropping his bag near his youngest brother.

"But fun; we have Sei for most of our classes," informed Kadaj.

"Really? Well, that sounds like fun."

"Sorta. I gotta hand it to you, Jake; you know what I noticed today? They're building an intergalactic nerd zoo in that place you'll like to call school." Said Kadaj, sighing.

"Why so?"

"We got some visitors. They were examining how we wrote, what we read, why we talked… and Yazoo's hair."

Yazoo stroked his silver strands of hair absent-mindedly as he himself recalled the happenings of the day. "It got tangled after so much touching…" the way he said it and his expression would've led anyone to believe it was a traumatizing experience for him.

Kadaj bursted out laughing; "yeah, he had to glare for them to leave him alone since you know… he couldn't kill or attack them."

Jake chuckled. "Well, sounds like you all had an overwhelming day at school today…" Jake looked at Sei carefully. She hadn't said a single word of contribution to their story; instead she was staring right down at him. "So… little sister… how was your day?"

"I don't know, waking up '_late_' and getting there in record time and finding that I was early…"Jake could feel her evil aura rising around her as she added, "You know you're lucky I was too tired and lazy to come running all the way home again to _hang_ you from one of the trees outside."

"SO! Who's hungry?" asked Jake, standing up and practically sprinting into the kitchen.

"I am!" said Kadaj. He looked at Sei. "You know, you're one good cook. What's your future career? You should work at a restaurant." He added. Sei raised an eyebrow at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Keep your rude comments to yourself; Sei is clearly not in the mood for your jokes, brother. Stop insinuating things." Yazoo was smiling at Kadaj strangely.

"Rude? _Me_? Seriously, I wasn't trying to imply anything; she's my friend; I respect her with all my being." He smiled sheepishly at them, leaned forward and demandingly tapping his hand on the table, he said "So, I would like some green tea and maybe a sandwich would be a very nice touch."

"Is that your way of showing respect?" yelled Sei. Kadaj looked at her surprised.

"No? Oh, excuse me, let me try again." He stood up and held a hand for Sei to take.

Sei's angry expression turned to a confused one. She didn't move her hand, but she still felt it being taken, and Yazoo's body was suddenly not near her anymore. Unexpectedly, she found herself being dragged out the front door and into the forest. "C'mon Sei, we're going out to eat," he was saying. "It's your treat!"

Yazoo and Loz stared at the open front door. "Where'd Sei and Kadaj go?" asked Jake, peeking into the living room.

"Kadaj… said he would take her out to eat." Said Yazoo.

Jake frowned. "Where did he get any money to buy anything?" he asked, already having a pretty good idea of the answer.

Yazoo shook his head. "He invited her," he said, "with her money."

"And you let him do that?" demanded Jake. "You know how crazy he is! She's not gonna be able to handle him on her own!"

They both looked at Loz who was seated silently on the couch and reading the newspaper Jake had been reading earlier. He looked up and shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. It's not my fault he has so much energy to waste."

* * *

"Uh… what are we doing at a soda shop?" asked Sei, when Kadaj offered her to sit down at a table.

"Quiet. I planned this to be fun," said Kadaj, coming back with two sodas and giving one to Sei.

She eyed her drink tentatively and fearing the answer, she asked, "And the fun starts where?"

Kadaj looked at Sei as he sipped from his soda. "I bought you a soda with a flexible straw."

Sei looked down at her own soda. She grabbed the straw, bent it in a lot of different directions and uttered, "_Weee_."

He laughed. He sipped more of his drink and then laughed again. "That's not funny," he said, trying to make a serious face.

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Cuz I don't know what else to do." Kadaj pushed his soda away. "This is getting us nowhere."

"I agree with that." Said Sei.

"I say we leave."

"I agree with that too."

Sei began to reach into her wallet for money, but Kadaj stopped her, saying he was just kidding earlier. When he pulled a couple of bills from his pocket, she asked him, "Where did you get money from?"

Kadaj looked at her and smiled. "Kurosawa likes to gamble," he said. Before she asked what he had bet in return, he said, "All or nothing." Laughing, she walked towards the entrance while Kadaj paid the drinks and then followed after her.

As they stepped out of the shop, they failed to see their surroundings and the people within the area. They paid no attention whatsoever, to the young woman at their left who saw how Kadaj acted seemingly possessive as he flung an arm around Sei's neck and led her to the forest. Alarmed, the woman flipped open her phone and dialed. The other line rang several times before it was picked up and a male voice said, "Hello?"

"Cloud, you're _never_ gonna believe who I just saw," said Tifa.


	10. Believe

"You know, we began to worry about you Sei." Yazoo and Loz had been waiting outside the house for their return.

"Why? I'm okay," she said. "Where's Jake?"

"He went to go look for you," Said Yazoo. He watched as Loz studied Sei, ensuring she wasn't harmed in any way.

"Hey, I'm fine," she insisted.

"Did you at least have a good time?"

"Well…" her eyes slid over to Kadaj.

"Say it was fun! SAY IT!" said Kadaj, getting Sei playfully by the neck. She in turn pushed him away and assumed a kung-fu position. He in turn imitated her. She was about to laugh at the silly face he was making, when suddenly, before Sei could even make a sound, Kadaj was lifted off the ground and his black hair was replaced by a blond head. Sei blinked and only had time to gasp, before she realized that another dark flash of black was attacking Yazoo and Loz at the same time.

She heard windows breaking; the blond being had thrown Kadaj through one of the house windows. Sei stood there petrified watching how the two blurs of black attacked the three brothers for a few seconds. She saw how Yazoo backed away from the flash of black as Loz attacked it. Kadaj was emerging from the house and launching himself at the blond being with his hands converted to claws, his eyes blazing with a heated fury.

Then Sei recognized the figures. _What are they doing here?_ She immediately sprinted forward trying to stand between the blur of black and Loz, who had somehow pushed Yazoo to the floor and managed to keep himself in place between his brother and their attacker. "No!" she screamed, "Don't touch them!"

"What?" the woman looked down at Sei in surprise. Yazoo stood up and with Loz in tow, got nearer to them; both pairs of pupils were stretched vertically and their faces were twisted in grim expressions of sadistic anger as they prepared to attack. "No!" she said again, this time at the men. She got in between the woman and them; "Stay back!" Both men blinked at her confused; behind them, Sei could see Kadaj fighting the other figure fist on fist. _Jake, where are you?_ "Stop it!" she called. "Stop it, stop it—STOP IT!" Her voice finally carried onto to them, making them pause in their battle; well actually, Kadaj stopped; his opponent was so full of adrenaline, he couldn't stop himself just in time, and delivered a heavy punch to Kadaj's jaw, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

Seeing this, Loz and Yazoo rushed to his aid, followed by Sei, with the woman in tow as the blond man prepared himself to receive the other two in battle. Before they collided, however, Sei managed to over speed the other two and tackled the man before they got even a chance to breathe on him; once she was on the floor with him, she turned to the remnants and the woman. "Enough!" They literally slid to a stop. She immediately stood up and separated the remnants from the other two, and backed them away towards the house. "That's enough," she said, panting heavily, but her eyes fixed with finality.

"Go into the house," she said to the ones behind her. She sensed that they didn't want to listen to her; they wanted to attack, to get their revenge, to kill… "Please," she said, a strain on her tone. "Please, just do as I say… and go into the house." Somewhere, somehow, they must have sensed an edge in her voice that eventually got them moving inside the building. Noticing their actions, the blond man charged forward, his icy blue stare determined to stop them on their tracks. Sei shook her head at him, and pleaded with her eyes that he stop… but he didn't. He kept going and then suddenly… the man stopped. He didn't stop by will, it was by force; her knee was buried into his stomach. He didn't get past her.

As she lowered her knee, the man fell on his side, gasping for air. _I'm sorry_… "What are you doing?" asked the woman, obviously confused. _I'm so sorry_…

The woman, who was helping the man stand, had a calculating look about her eyes, as if she were planning on going past her and then into the house to finish what they'd started. "Leave them alone, Tifa," Sei said grabbing her attention. She turned to the guy who was struggling to maintain himself standing; he ended up kneeling on the floor.

"Why'd you do that?" he asked.

_I'm so sorry_, she wanted to say. _I'm_ _so sorry, for doing this to you… I didn't mean to_… she wanted to say all that and more, but Jake wasn't around, and the dust was still up in the air. She had to control her guilt and be as firm as she knew Jake could be. "Cloud," she replied, "What the hell are you thinking coming to my house, violating it and attacking my friends? What are you doing _here_?"

Cloud Strife looked up at her as if barely seeing her for the first time; he looked her up and down and then chuckled lightly. "Sei..."he groaned, "you grew."

"What, did you expect me to look exactly the same as I did two years ago?"

"In a way," he uttered. "But that kick was unexpected. Jake's taught you well."

Sei shook her head. "Don't change the subject; what are you doing here?"

"Well…" he said, sighing and tried standing up slowly again."Tifa called saying you were being held against your will. By those three." Cloud pointed at the house behind her. Sei looked back at Tifa.

"_What_?"

"It looked like it, so I decided to call Cloud so we could help you," she said.

"But… I'm not being held against my will… they're my friends, we all live here." Sei's expression softened. It was a simple mistake; people made mistakes, right?

"Friends?" Cloud's voice sounded incredulous. "For all the time I've known those three, they're beings that can't be trusted." Sei frowned, then sighed. "If you knew the things they've done—"

"You know what?" Sei interrupted; she was about to continue with a verbal attack his way, when she stopped. It would probably be hard for Cloud and Tifa to think of the remnants as misguided children, but really, that was what they were. They had committed wrong actions, but they had not known that what they had been doing was wrong. They were innocent, only wanting to be with their mother. Jenova had not treated them well. They had been pawns under her manipulation. Cloud and them may understand the meaning of that, but they surely didn't know how to handle it without violence. And right now, Jake wasn't around to smooth things over, so it was up to Sei to back up her new friends.

Her thought process had been an extended one; so much so that Cloud and Tifa were beginning to think that Sei was actually considering Cloud's words. "You're right," she said, finally. Anyone would've thought that Sei was surrendering to them, but the look on her face told Cloud and Tifa otherwise; she wasn't moving out of the way, in fact, she was staying put. Very much so, especially demonstrated as she added, "we're born capable of doing terrible things. I mean, who isn't; you go around and you see people stealing, lying, cheating… killing…" She trailed off for a moment and then gathered her thoughts again.

"But realize that there's always, _always_, someone who appears in our lives to give us a little push in the wrong or right direction. Those three are as human as you and me and Tifa and Jake. They are no different." Cloud looked about to start telling her otherwise, but she decided to speak over him. "You were their Big Brother, Cloud, and you were supposed to take care and look after them. I know they got out of hand, and I know you stopped them…" Once again she trailed away, and once again, she thought of his way of doing things. _Such brutality_… she shook her head and continued. "But the fact that you stopped them before doesn't mean you have to do it again. They are here with good intentions; they haven't harmed anyone, nor are they thinking of doing so." Of course, the latter was only an assumption and very frail one too, considering their attempts to continue fighting against Cloud and Tifa just a few minutes prior. Thankfully, none of them caught onto that fact.

"Wait, how did you know I stopped them?" asked Cloud. Tifa cocked her head and looked at Sei, taking a step closer to them; she was also interested in what the answer was.

"They told me what happened. From the time they got here, all the way to how they came back," she answered.

"No matter what they said to you, I'm sure they lied to you. Realize that it's in their nature to lie and deceive—"

"If that were to be true, then tell me it was a lie that Tifa fought against Loz and lost in Aerith's church. Tell me it was a lie that Yazoo gathered all the children infected with geostigma and took them to the forgotten city. Tell me that Kadaj lied when he told us he turned into Sephiroth. Tell me it was a lie that you tried to finish all three on the Shinra building."

"Tried?" asked Cloud.

"Yeah, one of them survived. Then the other two came back to life."

Cloud had heard enough. "Sei, I failed to bring Aerith back to life. Life only flows in one direction and people aren't supposed to be brought back. And now they show up after they died?"

"Yeah." Sei shrugged the way she knew Jake would've done.

"A normal person doesn't come back to life just like that."

"For a small difference you're going to go against them? Over all, they're not so different; just like you and me, they have mission in life, and I know it's a good one."

Tifa was about to say something, but Sei turned to her and interrupted her.

"Let me ask you something. What would it be if you were beaten half to death? If you were thrown on the ground, you were spat on, and told that you were worth nothing? What would you feel?" Tifa and Cloud remained silent. Cloud may have understood a bit of those feelings, but Tifa could only really imagine the extent of those words. "I know something happened to those three. And they will need more than each other to snap awake from that trauma. So me and Jake have decided to take them in and teach them better ways of life."

Cloud was grinding his teeth, thinking about what she was saying. Then…"What exactly are you doing this for?"

"It's another step."

"To what?"

"You have everything you want." Sei's eyes flashed. "I'm still searching."

There was a long moment of silence, as Tifa and Cloud allowed what Sei had just said to sink in. For a moment Tifa thought that Sei wanted to put Cloud down; the way she kept referencing things from his past…

"Cloud, leave them alone." Added Sei.

"Ever since I split ways with SOLDIER, I don't follow orders." Cloud's eyes had grown to be icy.

"It's not an order," said Sei looking for a kinder glare from him. "It's more of a… deal."

"Forget your deal; they were destined to be killed ever since they were made," said Cloud, frowning deeper and starting to walk to Sei's house, where the three brothers were. During the whole conversation, Cloud had grown stronger and the pain of the kick the younger girl had delivered had vanished; now he walked almost normally. As he passed Sei, she yanked his arm forcefully, turning him around.

"You stay out here with _me_! You're not going anywhere!"

"Let go of me, I'm not sitting around to see how they turn on you and kill you. I don't care if you're on their side."

"Forgetting the fact that they could kill you this time because they're enraged and done with games, I don't want you to go in there _because_ I don't want to take sides." Cloud stopped walking. Tifa looked at them both. "If you threaten them, I will be on their side defending them. But if they threaten you, I will go into your side and defend you. Until that happens, I'm a neutral. Please don't make me pick a side."

_Why is she like this?_ thought Tifa, amazed by the younger girl's courage. _The kindness that runs through her body might be something that keeps her going… but it might turn into a reason of a future death…_

"Please," the girl said once more. She had stopped pulling at his arm, mainly because he had stopped walked, and she stared at his hand in hers. Cloud looked at the house and seemed to measure it. Then he looked back at Tifa, and then back down to Sei. "So, what you're telling me is that they told you everything about them."

"Yeah."

"Tell me what they told you."

Sei told them everything that happened since Cloud vs. SHM first encounter, all the way to the present. "That's all they told me."

Cloud looked at Tifa again. "And you don't mind the way they are?"

"You learn to live with it." Sei looked down at her hands, debating whether to let him go or not. She didn't want to; it had been a while since she'd seen him this close, and it appeared to her that if she let go, he would disappear for another time.

Tifa frowned questionably at the two friends. _I don't think she's trying to put him down_, she thought. _I guess… in her own weird way, she's trying to convince Cloud that everything's fine._

"I want you to understand that I didn't mean any harm," said Cloud, turning and taking one of Sei's hands and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I just… thought you needed help and so I wanted to help you."

"I'm okay," she said, smiling at him. "So is Jake."

Cloud thought about it. It was something humiliating to him… just let the enemy get away… but Sei claimed they were her friends. If he attacked and killed them right now, she would never forgive him. Not even with the pass of time; she was like that. They had been close friends once, it still felt that way actually, and the last thing he wanted was to lose his friend for some stupid reason.

_Except this isn't a stupid reason_. If the remnants went nuts, all the peace of the world would be at stake and then— "Alright."

"Thanks." Cloud let go of her shortly.

"Hey, when we first met them, they had silver hair," said Tifa, now relieved that the tension was over. "So how come two of them have black hair?"

"'To hide a leaf, you must place it in a forest'," said Sei, quoting a line from somewhere she couldn't quite remember.

"Oh." She put her hand on her chin. "But the one with longer hair still has it silver. Don't you think maybe the town people will recognize him and make a big fuss?"

"Maybe Jake used his magic," suggested Cloud.

"So, why don't you come in and meet them properly?" asked Sei, ignoring the conversation.

Cloud shook his head. "No Sei. I said I wouldn't kill them… But I'm not building a friendship with them." Sei looked at Tifa.

"Sorry. I'm with him." She said. Sei sighed.

"We're leaving." Said Cloud. He began walking towards the city. Tifa waved goodbye and followed after him.

* * *

When they were out of sight, Tifa looked up at Cloud. "I don't know about you, but I felt very happy when we found out she was safe after all."

Cloud didn't reply. "Are you still worried?"

"What do you think." He replied coldly.

"If you feel like that, then how come you agreed with her deal?"

"Honestly, I don't know. But it's too late to take back my words. We'll just have to wait until they turn on her and try to kill her."

"Try?"

"I'm not letting my guard down this time." Cloud glanced at her with determination before quickly returning his gaze to the path. "I'm not letting her die like Aerith."

Tifa bit her lip. "What are you planning on doing?"

Cloud kept walking. "Cloud, what are you planning on doing?"

* * *

Sei watched as the two left. She remained outside a bit longer, until she was able to calm herself from the close call. Then she sighed, ran her hand trough her wavy, long, black and white hair and walked to the house. When she entered, she found the Trio sitting in the living room quietly.

"What's up guys? Sorry about all that, it was a huge misunderstanding—"

"I don't recall telling you who Big Brother was," said Kadaj. Sei looked at him surprised. "Yazoo and Loz didn't tell you who he was either," he added.

Sei frowned questioningly. Then she looked at the broken living room window. "You were listening," she said. Kadaj was going to tell her that that was beyond the point, when Jake walked into the house.

"I just saw Cloud and Tifa walking back to the city; are the guys okay?" he asked.

"Well, the window got broken in all the commotion…" started Sei.

"But besides that, everyone's fine?"

Kadaj looked at him and then returned his gaze to Sei. "You knew." Everyone turned to see that Yazoo had spoken. "All along, you knew."

A smile crossed Sei lips replacing her serious expression; it almost seemed like she was thinking 'you caught me'. "Yeah, I knew."

"Had we already met?" asked Yazoo.

"Not really," said Sei, running her hand through her hair again. "I just happened to be there when you passed by."

"What do you mean?" asked Yazoo.

"That time, when you were running away from Cloud and into the freeway, I was coming back home from school." There was silence."On the way, I heard motorcycles, and then minutes later, I saw Kadaj approaching with three other bikes behind. I recognized the second, being Cloud… but I didn't pay much attention to Yazoo or Loz."

She smiled weakly at the confession she had made and then continued. "I got a feeling you were in trouble. So I stood in place until Kadaj got near where I was. When he did, he looked at me and we had eye connection for a split second. But it was enough time for me to point towards the ruins. You made a sharp turn and headed over there. The other three followed you. When I heard the explosion, I knew it had to be you all, so I insisted on my brother to take me. But he didn't know why I was so focused on going."

Jake looked at his sister. He remembered that day they had been playing out in the rain, and after the explosion, Sei had said "_I wonder…"_ So that's what she had meant.

"When I was taking care of Yazoo, I kept getting the feeling he was Kadaj, but his hair was longer, and his features were different, so the idea eventually left my mind. The day I crashed into Loz and Kadaj… well… it was their eyes and their skin that made me insist on you coming over here, because I had a vague memory of them from all the time I spent watching over Yazoo."

_When I bumped into them, I realized there was something about them…_ Jake could hear his sister's words in his head replaying that scene when she tried to convince him to let them stay. The trio looked at her, studying her in silence for a long moment. She shifted uncomfortably. All those emerald eyes, staring at her… it seemed they were penetrating into her soul… It was just a weird feeling.

"Why did you help us if you already knew that what we were?" asked Yazoo.

"That's the funny thing," said Sei still smiling. "Back there, I didn't really have a reason. I just did."

"What were your real intensions when you signaled to Kadaj? And when you brought us home?"

Sei sighed. "It's not common for you to speak so much, Yazoo." She said. "Don't ask me those questions; even I can't answer them."

"So… Big brother didn't come because you planned it all along?" asked Loz.

"No, silly. I knew he was your enemy, and I really want you to stay here. I find it of low caliber to betray someone for no reason."

"But you do have a reason; we terrorized the whole city," said Kadaj. "Why wouldn't you want to get rid of us before we caused chaos again?"

"Because I know you three are so much better than that if you were given the chance."

There was a moment of silence. "When we first went to register to Sei's school, I noticed that the school staff did not mind our presence," said Yazoo. "Even if we were dressed differently, I looked the same as I did when we attacked the city. Why is it that the people in town and school fear us no more when they see us?"

"Because I have a special power," said Jake, stepping further into the living room. Everyone looked back at him. "I made the town people forget they ever saw you. Sure, they remember somebody causing havoc… but they don't know who it was. They can't remember. So they've chosen to forget about it, instead of trying to figure it out."

"You see, he has the power of making people forget certain things, and even altering memories. They don't forget everything, just the most important things," said Sei. "The town people see a figure surrounded by blinding light in their memories; that light is so blinding, they can't see the features of the person in it. Jake's whipped out or masked in the memory just about anything that could help them link the destruction back to you."

Kadaj and the other two looked at them with suspicion. All along they had considered Jake and Sei their friends. Now they didn't know if it was safe to trust them. They knew Big Brother, Jake had special powers he hadn't mentioned before and could make them forget who they were, turn them against each other…

"Don't worry," said Jake. "Desperate situations call for desperate measures. I used my ability to help you guys stay here peacefully. I wouldn't use it to do things like… kicking you out of here and making Sei forget she ever met you guys."

"Why?"

"Because doing that to you guys, would mean having to clean Sei's memory as well, and I wouldn't do something like that to someone I really love."

"You love Big Brother too?" Jake cocked his head at Kadaj's question.

"You didn't make him or his friends forget about us." Added Loz.

"They need to understand that you are different than before. The town people don't have self control over fear; you should know this better than anyone. One of them freaks out, and next thing you know, everyone's out to get you. But Cloud and they know better."

"So it's like we have to live hidden," concluded Kadaj. "In here, or out there on our own; it's all the same."

"No, it's not. Out there on your own and without having met us, you'd have been overrun by an angry mob by now. Your second chance would've gone to waste. Living like this is different; when the time comes, when you've changed, and they know it, I will gradually reveal you in their memories; if the good actions you've done surpass your evil deeds, they won't mind you and they will accept you."

"Big Brother and his friend refused to accept us now. What makes you think they will later on?" asked Yazoo. He was looking at Sei and her brother with a defying glance.

Jake smiled. "Oh, they will." He said. "You'll see."

* * *

The next day, Sei, Yazoo and Kadaj came back home with some news. They had a new student in their school, which seemed to be in every single one of Sei's classes. Her name was Yuffie Kisaragi. They had also gotten a new P.E. teacher; his name was Cid Highwind.

"Does this have to do with your plan?" asked Sei, as she watched Jake do dinner. Loz was in the living room watching TV, Kadaj was doing his homework in his room and Yazoo was taking a shower.

"Not at all," said Jake. "Cloud's a bit worried about us."

"So he sends spies to… _spy_ on us?"

"I'm sure he means well."

"Jake, I know Cloud is my friend and yours too, but… he's taking things a little too far."

"I know he is, honey, but… what can I do? Just try to use this to your advantage."

Sei left the kitchen and went to her own room. She had already cleared things with Cloud… or had she? Did he not believe her? Cloud had gotten over Aerith, but it clearly still hurt him to think of the way she died.

She heard a knock on the door. "Sei, can I come in?" asked Kadaj.

"Yeah."

"Hey, I need help with this." He said. She smiled. She couldn't believe this was the same Kadaj who was happily dropping his pants Saturday afternoon, when he had been hyper. It was… strange to see him like this, so dedicated to find the answer to a literature question. She nodded, signaled for him to sit beside her on her desk and they both started doing homework together. _If only Cloud could see this part of him…_

* * *

I really appreciate LuckyLadybug gave me permission to use several of her words and phrases to be able to complete this chapter… See you next time!


	11. Watch

After a few weeks, Yazoo and Kadaj were able to settle in the school scene same as Sei had done most of her life. They had gotten used to Sei's maniac friends, they had gotten used to the teachers, and they had gotten used to Yuffie and Cid watching their every move. Since they had Sei for almost all their classes, they got a chance to notice how awful she was in Math and Science. However, she was pretty good in P.E. and Art and occasionally, Literature. The trio had gotten new cell phones and Yazoo and Kadaj used text messaging to communicate with Sei during the only class they didn't have with her; History.

Yuffie was in each one of Sei's classes, and she hardly talked at all; if only a "hey" and "bye" came out of her mouth, but these were naturally directed towards Sei. Once she was invited to sit with Sei and the other four by Sei herself, but it seemed Yuffie had taken her "spy" job too seriously, for she had refused and walked away after making a questioning face.

Cid was, to some student's misfortune, the P.E. teacher. They couldn't get along with him—except Yuffie. He was really strict, really hot- tempered and a real dirty mouthed individual. Kadaj didn't mind this last piece of info, considering he was almost like an exact copy of Cid in a different way… Metaphorically speaking. Sei and Yazoo didn't mind him either, she used foul language herself sometimes and Yazoo wasn't really looking forward to another "watch your language" type of teacher… if anything the only trait that made Cid "cool" was the fact that if a bad word escaped someone's mouth, he wouldn't do anything about it, not even glare at them. He considered cussing a maturing signal.

Walking home from school, Yazoo, Sei and Kadaj often times saw Cloud talking to Cid and/or Yuffie. The 17-year old girl and her housemates would never go too near to the Avalanche team, in part because they didn't know what Cloud's reaction would be, the other part of the reason was somewhere between not wanting to find out what his reaction would be and not wanting to talk to him, especially Sei. So, she limited herself and the two remnants to a safe distance from him and she studied Cloud and his friends from far away.

By the lost, exhausted body gestures, she could see Cid and Yuffie weren't finding what Cloud was searching for. He would shake his head, clutch his hands and then relax them. Afterwards, he would give the other two more instructions. He would sigh as soon as the others turned to go inside the school again to pick up their belongings. It almost looked like he wanted to just step aside and give up, but it seemed his pride kept him from doing such a thing…

* * *

Friday morning of the fourth week in school dawned with very heavy rain pondering on the windows.

Sei and Jake were talking silently in the living room when Kadaj walked in rubbing the back of his neck as he said "I was really getting comfortable in my bed."

"I'm guessing you're not a morning person?" asked Jake, setting his conversation with his sister aside.

"Why did it take you so long to notice?" replied Kadaj. He sat beside Sei, and then lifted the blanket he had been dragging with him and wrapped himself with it. He yawned, closed his eyes and settled his head on Sei's shoulder.

"Loz, everything will be fine; it is the rain that hits the windows, not a burglar trying to harm us."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I'm scared, Yazoo!"

The two males walked into the living room as well; Yazoo fleeing from his older brother and Loz right at his younger brother's heels.

"Can anybody tell him everything is alright?" said Yazoo in his usual cold voice as he jumped over the couch and sat across from Jake and next to Kadaj.

"Come and sit here." Sei invited Loz to sit between Jake and herself. In a second he was there, putting his head on Sei's other shoulder.

"Hey creep, I was here first," mumbled Kadaj, keeping his eyes closed.

"I don't care!"

"Hey you two, quit it. I have enough shoulders for both of you." They grew quiet the girl's words. There was a moment of silence, in which only the rain hitting the windows was heard.

"Is there hail coming down with the rain?" asked Sei. Yazoo looked out the window.

"No," he said. He sat back down. "Are we walking to school?" he added.

Jake ran a hand through his shoulder length red-tipped black hair and sighed. "I don't think so. Not if you wanna get to school with clean clothes," he said. "Listen up. I will probably regret this later, but I'm going to have one of you three"—he pointed at the remnants—"drive my car to school." He looked at Loz, Sei, Kadaj, who was sitting up by now with his eyes wide open, and Yazoo.

"Can't you take us on the way to work?" asked Sei.

"I have my day off. And I don't want to spend a few minutes dropping you off and picking you up when I could be doing something useful like sleeping." He yawned. "So, who's gonna drive?" Jake added.

"ME!" yelled Kadaj.

"No, I will," said Yazoo.

"I won't," said Loz. Everyone looked at him. "What? I don't want to."

"Sei can't, because she doesn't have a license and her driving sucks—" Jake smiled at his sister as she glared at him. "You know I'm right, sis. You'd get pulled over right away. I actually trust them more than I trust you with the car."

"_Fine_," she said.

Jake looked at Kadaj and Yazoo. "Let's see who catches these keys." He threw the car keys up in the air, letting them float for a bit and then they fell… right in Kadaj's hand.

"Looks like I'm driving," he said.

"No, Yazoo is."

Kadaj looked at Jake like if he wanted to strangulate him. "I didn't say that the one who caught the keys would drive. I said I wanted to see who caught the keys. Since you caught them, Yazoo will drive. Those will be today's rules, and don't argue with me, or I'll make you walk to school." Jake stood up, and began walking towards his room. "By the way, can you guys go get some groceries after school? We're running out of food again." He added.

* * *

Sei and the other two showered, changed and then hopped on the car with their school stuff. Yazoo turned the engine on. "Wow, nice motor," said Kadaj. Since he wasn't the one driving, Sei felt for him, and offered the front passenger seat, which he took immediately. Then they backed the car away into the rain and drove to school.

Jake's car was fast, but it seemed Yazoo was able to handle the car with perfection. Kadaj turned on the radio at their favorite music station. At first he hesitated on how high the volume should be, but Yazoo reached out and put the volume at full blast. Sei didn't mind, in fact she had been hoping for something like this to happen. Whenever Jake drove, he always kept their favorite rock station low; his power to erase memories had made his ears very sensible, however he still liked to listen to very heavy metal… in low volume of course.

By the time they got to school, the rain had eased up a bit; Sei glanced at the remnants in curiosity and concern, because it seemed that this rain didn't affect them at all… which was strange. But it was good; she would hate to have to explain to the school staff why Yazoo and Kadaj were releasing green smoke every time the rain touched them. The day passed by really slow like usual and by the last bell, the rain was falling heavily again. They didn't see Cloud after school.

"Afraid of a bit of rain, is he." Yazoo's mutter was barely heard by Kadaj, who smiled his way. When they were climbing into the car again, Sei got a text message from Jake that said;

_Drive by on Hollow Street; Tifa needs help. Take her with you to the store._

"Isn't that the name of the woman that beat the shit out of Loz?" asked Kadaj, when Sei told them. Yazoo smiled as so did Sei when she nodded. With Sei giving directions, Yazoo drove and they finally saw a motor bike parked near a bus stop. They stopped right behind the bike; Yazoo lowered the volume as Sei moved to her left to let Tifa take a seat behind Kadaj, who opened his door and made the seat go forward to allow the woman in the car.

* * *

Tifa had been holding a newspaper over her head and eyes to avoid getting wet. When she put it down and shaken off the water drops on her arms, she looked at the driver and the person in front of her and her heart almost stopped.

"What happened?" asked the youngest remnant.

She looked at him with her mouth dry. When she had called Jake, he told her he would send someone… but why _them?_ The worst part was, the car door had already closed, she was in the back seat and the two remnants looked at her. She tried to swallow.

"Tifa, what happened?" That voice was all too familiar to Tifa; she turned to see Sei sitting beside her, and sighed with relief. She wasn't alone after all.

"The… the bike… it… suddenly stopped," she stuttered.

"Where is Big Brother?" asked Yazoo.

"He wouldn't pick up the phone," Tifa said with an exasperated sigh. Damn it, she'd already had a talk with him about the phone; one would've thought that he'd heed her words or get rid of it already. "Listen, I can't leave the bike here, so I'll wait until the rain slows down and I'll push it home," she said, as she gently but firmly pushed the seat forward along with Kadaj. It would be a good excuse to get out of the car, say good bye and set them off, but then Yazoo turned around and pegged her with a look.

"I think not," he said. Tifa looked at him. "Jake told us to take you to the store, and that is what we are to do."

"But what about the bike?" asked Tifa, desperation dripping lightly off her words.

They heard a vibrating sound and they all looked at Sei. She picked up her phone, opened it, and read out loud;

_Wait until the rain eases; chain the bike to the back of the car. Everything you need is in the trunk. _

"There's no need, really!" said Tifa. Yazoo turned his head towards her again and gave her a cold, irritated stare. Tifa stopped pushing Kadaj and the seat, sat back with tense arms, a neutral but strained face and kept her lips shut. She wouldn't be afraid if the driver had been the other guy, the one she had fought with at the church; she knew his moves now. But this guy was different. According to what Cloud had said, he was really sneaky and very agile; he apparently had a tendency to team up with the oldest of the brothers, but that wasn't enough information. She didn't know if the youngest one was also a good team-partner or if he had an even deadlier, more accurate way of fighting going solo. And the last time they had encountered each other at Sei's house, he had been denied the chance to fight with her by the oldest of them stepping up between them. So basically, his moves were a total mystery to her, and finding out his style of fighting at that moment seemed like a very stupid idea.

They sat in silence in the car; Yazoo looking out his car window, Kadaj playing with his thumbs, Sei playing games with her phone and Tifa looking ahead into the back of Kadaj's head. Finally, the rain reduced to be a mere sprinkle again, and they all got out of the car to follow Jake's directions concerning the bike. Tifa no longer refused, for she now feared Yazoo's reaction towards her next refusal, if she happened to say it.

* * *

They managed to chain it on top of the cart that seemed to be a giant skateboard and took Tifa to the grocery store with them. Since they were buying different things, they separated to take less time; Kadaj with Sei and Yazoo with Tifa. A knot was tied on the pit of Tifa's stomach as she heard this. But nothing could be done since Kadaj and Sei took off walking and talking and laughing on the opposite direction the other two were headed.

"Where to, Miss?" asked Yazoo. Tifa looked at him. He was standing next to her, with a basket on his hand, waiting for her to take it. Extending her hand, she took the basket from him, and swallowing, signaled for him to follow.

"I believe… we will start with the fruit and vegetables…" she whispered. Her normal voice couldn't be found anywhere inside her. She could bet her life that Yazoo had taken it away with that glare he gave her a few minutes ago. She thought of this as she picked the peaches carefully. When she was done filling up the bag, she was about to put it inside the basket, when she noticed a plastic bag with big red juicy apples already in there, but she hadn't put it there.

"What the…?" another bag of big green juicy pears was put in the basket by an ashen colored hand. She followed the attached arm to realize it belonged to the middle remnant. He was looking back at her with those green eyes of his; she had heard Cloud say that very often this remnant's emotions were very vague. Seeing him this close to her, she realized Cloud was right; it was difficult to know what the remnant was thinking… if one looked at his face alone. But his eyes lacked the intensity that suggested threat or hatred; in fact, they seemed a bit… kind.

"We will finish faster this way and we can meet up with my brother and Sei." He said. His voice was stony cold and a mere murmur, but there was no threat in his words either nor a trace of irritation like before. He actually seemed to be detached from all negative feelings. Feeling a little more confident with him by this assumption, she neared him and helped him pick out some of the fruit before she was brave enough to ask, "What's your name?"

He remained silent, ignoring the question. No, actually, he was thinking about it. Was he going to lie to her? No, it didn't look like it; it looked like he hadn't expected her to ask him in the first place. He met her straight in the eye, before he told her his name. She nodded and then moved on to the vegetables.

Yazoo had told her his name. That was a good start. Now, on with the next question … "Weeks have passed. Why don't you harm Sei in any way?" she asked.

Yazoo stopped throwing peppers aside, gave Tifa a quick glance and sighed. Tifa licked her lips, waiting for the answer. She felt like she was asking a personal question, and maybe taking advantage of the kindness and tolerance he was showing her, but… she had to know… _why_…

"Her friendship has made me realize there are indeed good people in this world," he said finally. He continued shoving vegetables into a plastic bag as he added, "Her friendship has made me realize that I _can_ change. I do not hurt her because she was the first person not counting my brothers that has offered her hand to help me in the difficult quest of change I have ahead of me. I do not hurt her because she treats me like her equal, and does not _judge_ me based on what I did in the past. And I do not hurt her because I wanted to feel important, part of a real family and it is because of her that Jake has accepted us in his house and made me feel like they need my brothers and I in their life."

There, he had said it. The answer to a simple question Cloud considered too hard to ask.

Tifa looked at Yazoo like if she was looking at somebody new. Perhaps she had been wrong to think that he and his brother were up to no good when they were in the car, trying to help her. Perhaps Cloud had been wrong after all. Perhaps they had changed, perhaps they were only misguided as children, perhaps they never meant any harm to begin with. Her thoughts broke and a small gasp escaped her when his lips curved and he gave her a very small, but sincere smile before moving on to the meat section.

By dear heavens; that smile had sent her heart racing! Never before had she actually paid attention to his beautiful eyes and overall attractive physique. Then again, before today, she hadn't had a chance, now had she? She had been determined to finish him off for the sake of the world…

* * *

Tifa decided to change the subject. "Are you sure these apples are good?" she asked, poking the mentioned fruit.

"Yes, they are. You wish to try them?" he asked.

"Why not, I am paying for them after all." She said, taking one and biting into it. To her surprise, it was as good as it looked. It almost made her moan with pleasure. They continued on to get the rest of what she needed, and then walked to where Sei and Kadaj were supposed to be at, waiting to meet with them. They found Sei trying to pull Kadaj onto his feet, who had apparently slipped on the wet floor.

"GET UP!" Sei was saying. "Oh, look! Money!" she added.

"MINE!" roared Kadaj, looking wildly around him. "I saw it first!"

"Go for it. It's only a coin." Sei turned to Tifa and Yazoo as they approached them. "You're back, how'd it go?" she asked.

"Good," said Yazoo, watching how Kadaj pocketed the penny in his pants and then stood up.

"You are very fortunate to have such a good food pick –" Tifa began choking on a little piece of the apple. Kadaj began hitting her gently but firmly on her back.

"You okay?" asked Sei, and then added "Did you get everything you needed for dinner?"

Tifa nodded and with a very raspy voice said "Yeah, hold on…"

Kadaj grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently shouting "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FRIEND YOU DEMON OF SATAN!"

Tifa pushed him away with Yazoo's and Sei's help and then cleared her throat. "Wow, that actually helped me swallow the apple!" her normal voice was back.

"It was the apple?" asked Kadaj. "BEWARE PEOPLE! THE APPLES HAVE DEMONS!" Yazoo slapped Kadaj upside the head... something he had been craving to do for quite a while now.

"She was choking; she never had a demon in her," said Sei.

"Ok, let's pay for these," suggested Tifa, referring to the groceries.

* * *

"Let's see… ah, here it is, Capricorn. _You are very eager to get a new job; however, you shall wait, for there are better opportunities in the future. Patience will reward you around the 29th of next month. Your lucky number is 10 and 12._" Kadaj was reading a horoscope from a magazine for Jake, for he was, obviously, Capricorn.

"That's bull," said Jake. "I don't even have another job planned out. I find myself being happy with the job I have now."

"Now you know how I feel, mister 'you-have-to-go-to-school-to-get-a-better-career'." Kadaj's statement earned laughter from everyone.

"But I did go to school for it, Kadaj," said Jake in between laughs. "That's why I'm so happy about it."

"Really?" said Tifa.

Somehow, Sei, Kadaj and Yazoo had convinced her to come along home, eat with them and if she wanted to, take some food for the children so she wouldn't have to cook as soon as she got back to Seventh Heaven. She accepted, although the feeling of betrayal gnawed at her mind from the depths of her brain and heart.

When Loz had seen Tifa come out of the car, he prepared to fight her, but when the rest had gone inside, she told him she meant no harm. She stretched out her hand and offered it to him, waiting for him to take it in a sign of truce. Hesitantly, he took it. "It's the first time I'm so close to you… and we don't fight." She said shaking his hand. He had blushed and asked her to come in. Now there she was, at the table with the three remnants Cloud swore evil, Jake and Sei, talking like if they had been friends from a very long time ago.

"I imagine how it would be to know the future… no lies, no goals, no surprises…" said Sei, taking the magazine from Kadaj. She had her finger dancing on the page, looking for something.

"I've had my fortune told a lot of times," said Tifa.

"Really?" the question was now asked by Jake.

"Yeah, through dice, cards, crystal balls and magazines. Those predictions are right as many times as they're wrong. In the end, you can only trust yourself about how your own future comes out."

"Wow,_ that_ was a very deep thought," said Kadaj biting into a cookie.

"She can do that since she is the voice of reasoning. I should know, since we went together to school along with Cloud."

Kadaj started coughing. "No way!"

"Yup. Actually, we went to the very same school you guys are going to at the moment," said Tifa.

"Wow!" said Sei. "I didn't know that, Jake."

"Then here's something else I bet you didn't know; back in our day, there was a dressing code rule that students were not allowed to enter the campus with abnormal hair color; anything other than blonde, red, black or brown was considered abnormal. You know how the staff took it away?" Everyone except Jake and Tifa shook their head. "Tifa was the one to go against it and she won. That's why the school teachers allow Yazoo to have his silver hair." Said Jake.

"You can't be serious…" said Kadaj.

"You mean to tell me that Kadaj colored his hair black for nothing?" They all nodded at Yazoo's inquiry, to what he replied with a rather mocking tone, "Ha, hilarious."

"You shut up, Yazoo. Also remember that _this_"—he grabbed a black strand of hair— "happened before we even _thought_ about going to school."

"We _never_ thought about going to school," pointed out the middle remnant. Everyone agreed.

"Now that you mention it," said Sei, "I have noticed our school is different than the others in that aspect; I've seen students with pink hair, even. And they're not so strict about the uniform per say." Everyone nodded again.

"Alright, they're going to the most laid back school in the city," said Loz. "What's the story behind that?"

Tifa sighed with excitement, and said, "Listen carefully; I announced to the principal that I thought the rule of 'abnormal' hair color was stupid, and asked to have a meeting with him. So we did. Besides Jake and Cloud, I took a few kids with 'against the rules' hair color who were about to be expelled. I explained my points of how they should just get rid of the ridiculous rule. But he refused to budge, and at the end, I lost my patience, and I started yelling at the principal. He called security and while they took me out, I yelled a few profanities, told him to go to hell, and flipped him off. So concludes the most awesomest story in history."

Sei, Loz and Kadaj looked at Tifa with very wide eyes of surprise; Yazoo wore an expression that could be said he was surprised as well and Jake was laughing, remembering those times of idiocy.

"You… you got rid of the rule like _that?_!" asked Kadaj.

"Yes."

"I don't believe it." Said Sei.

"Actually, right after that incident—well, right after the door closed behind Tifa and the security guards—Cloud stepped up and gave a wonderful speech that smoothed things over. It was kinda like a good-cop bad-cop issue and whatnot. _But _Tifa was our voice of reasoning. And today, she still is," said Jake.

"You are surely joking." said Yazoo.

"Nope," said Tifa, smiling widely. "And to make your day happier, here's another story of the wonderful day I kidnapped the most awesomest teacher, and then called the school to get funds for a school trip!"

"Wait a sec, you did _what_?" asked Sei.

"It all started with toilet paper."

"Jake, stop her! I don't want to hear more of her weird stories!" said Kadaj.

"Haha! I remember that time!" Jake was saying, completely ignoring Kadaj's plea.

"Yes! Wasn't it wonderful, Jake? We all got to spend so much time together in lunch and after school detention!" agreed Tifa. Anyone would've thought she was drunk by the way she was behaving, but the truth was, she was one hundred percent sober.

"There you are." A stranger's voice invaded the conversation. They all turned to the entrance of the dining room to see who the owner of the voice was. Three pairs of green eyes got wide with surprise and Tifa's heart could've stopped in the spot.

"The door was unlocked." Cloud Strife was standing before them with an expression made only for the devil himself to wear when furious. Sei was smiling, genuinely happy to see the unexpected guest. "Hello, Cloud," she said.

He looked down at her and his frown deepened even more. His stare was so hot with anger… "Cloud, I was heading to the grocery store but…" Tifa started explaining, but Cloud interrupted her when he said, "I think we should leave."

Sei frowned. It was the first time she had experienced seeing Cloud act so possessive. Now, what was the reason? The fact that Tifa was befriending his worst enemies? In the middle of the silence, the chair's legs slid back on the floor when Tifa stood up.

"Are you taking some food for the kids?" asked Kadaj. Cloud's dangerous glare stabbed him, but Kadaj made no move that indicated he regretted asking her. He was, however, uncomfortable by Strife's mere presence.

Seeing this, Tifa shook her head. "I believe its best I don't. I have to go now. Thank you for everything." She began to follow Cloud out the door. "Do you want your bike?" called Jake. Cloud only nodded without turning around. Jake excused himself, stood up and went outside as well.

"I hope nothing bad happens to her," said Kadaj. "I never expected to see Big Brother here. Especially since this is where we live. I'd figure he wouldn't come."

"I wonder how he knew she was here," thought Sei out loud.

* * *

"Now, Tifa, tell me, how did you end up here?" asked Cloud on the way to Seventh Heaven. He was pushing his bike alongside him, with Tifa on the other side of it. It had been fixed by Loz and Jake, but Cloud didn't want to ride it back home; he wanted a chance to be able to speak with the woman.

"Don't get mad Cloud, but I asked them to help me."

"You did what?" Cloud stopped and looked at her. "You know how I feel about them. Why would you do anything like that?"

Tifa crossed her arms in front of her. "On the way to the store, the bike stopped. It didn't want to restart. It was just dead. Since you _really_ like that bike, I knew I couldn't leave it all alone while I went to get food. So I called Jake and he sent your 'enemies' to help me. They are very helpful, Cloud, I don't know why you—"

"Why didn't you call me?" he interrupted again.

"I did, but like always, you never answer that stupid phone of yours!" Tifa shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "You always leave the answering machine on! We talked already about it, and honestly speaking, if you don't use it to talk, then throw it away! It would make matters a lot easier for me, instead of just waiting for you to hear all the messages I leave you." Cloud reached out for her and took her hand in his. She didn't look at him, but she could feel how he was studying her over, watching her emotions. Then he squeezed gently her hand; the action made her smile softly.

"You called me." It wasn't a question.

"Trust me, I called you more than five times. And since you wouldn't pick up, the next person on the list would be Jake."

"I don't have any missed calls."

"Then I'm sorry for getting angry at you, but if it's your phone acting up, you need to get a new one." She squeezed his hand back gently as well.

"What about Cid or Yuffie?"

"I couldn't reach them either." She answered.

"Maybe it's not me who needs to get a new phone," he replied. She turned and looked at him now; his blue eyes glowed in the darkness with an intensity she couldn't quite place. He looked concerned, sincere and… hurt. And she understood why; that guilty feeling she had, intensified with each passing second she had spent at Jake's house, and there was no way to tell Cloud she hadn't been having fun, because she had.

She started walking away from Cloud, her hand slipping out of his grip. She began to think it was really pathetic for him to act so childish, but it was understandable from his point of view; he was worried about Jake and Sei's safety. So had she, actually, but now she had no worries. The remnants were alright as far as she could see, and had felt comfortable with them. She wouldn't never tell that to Cloud, however. He was concerned enough as it was. And that was only scrapping the surface; she didn't know how long he'd been inside that house hearing everything they all had said to each other.

Her phone rang. She opened it, and saw that she had received a message. It was from Sei and it said;

_Don't feel bad, I know what the others expect of you._

She text messaged back and then walked along with Cloud without saying a single word to him. The grocery bags balancing back and forth on the handles of the bike was the only sound heard in the forest.

* * *

As Sei lay on her bed, she thought about many things. Cloud was beginning to lose his patience, with her and with the remnants. Tifa had time to realize how much they had changed in the course of a month, but if she was able to convince Cloud, was still a question. She was the voice of reasoning, according to what Jake had said, so that was an advantage. The bad thing was that Cloud had too much pride to try and give _anything_ a second chance. It was actually a miracle he had given life a second chance since Aerith's death.

Sei remembered how painful it was for her to see Cloud so lost in his own little world of misery, and how hopeless she felt at the thought of not being able to do anything about it. She had tried many times to tell him it wasn't his fault, but he wouldn't even hear of it. Until one day he just left. She had tried to call him, talk to him, see how he was doing, but all she got was the answering machine. She had left messages; at first she was concerned for him, then her messages had started getting angry because he wouldn't reply. She had felt that that was only making a gap between them, but he wasn't doing his part in keeping in touch. But she never gave up.

Jake had walked in on her once; she had been yelling on the phone, demanding an answer from Cloud. He had taken the phone away from her and hung up, then consoled her angry tears. Her brother explained in further depth was Cloud was going through, explained in a way that was easier for her to understand. And then she realized, what Cloud needed was not something she could give him. She could, however, let him know that she was there for him in case he wanted to talk.

So instead of calling and leaving angry messages, she told him about what she'd done with Jake. She always ended her calls with an I love you, or an I miss you, hoping that he would snap out of his world and come back home. Then, finally, Cloud came back from wherever he had been.

That was something she considered a flaw in her person; that she would never give up, that she kept trying instead of moving on to something else. Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone vibrated. Sei opened her cell phone to see a message from Tifa. She smiled as she read it.

_You and your friends are very fortunate to each other. I had fun. We should get together again sometime._

But her smile vanished when she thought of Cloud and his furious face. It was going to take some time to make him accept the trio. And maybe she was up to the challenge. Maybe her flaw would bring up some trouble, and there was a possibility it would break hell and all the demons in it loose, but it was going to be easier to deal with it now, because _now_ she had Tifa on her side.

"It doesn't matter what it takes, I _will_ make you accept them." That was the last thing Sei thought before closing her eyes and falling asleep.


	12. The Project

The days continued to pass by. Ever since Tifa had been to their house, Sei, Yazoo and Kadaj hadn't known any more of her. Cloud hadn't showed up in school since that incident. It was a relief, but it was also bothering for Sei; it seemed Tifa had gotten into trouble. But, what kind of trouble could she possibly get into?

Cid continued to be the way he had always been since he got to school, which is to say the coolest teacher ever but also the strictest... and Yuffie no longer spoke to Sei. Sei guessed the girl was under strict restriction to talk to her and her friends, but she would just pass by, smile once in a while whenever they made eye contact and it was safe to say that was the only contact they had.

When he was told of this, Jake assumed it had to do with Cloud and Tifa. He also guessed that Tifa had told Yuffie about the time she had spent with the beings Cloud didn't like. Perhaps now Yuffie wanted to talk to them and see for herself since now she smiled at the remnants as well. But there was this loyalty towards her blonde friend that stopped her from finding out what Tifa had managed to see.

* * *

It was a Wednesday when Sei awoke with a feverish cold. Perhaps the sudden change of weather had caused it, and it had also managed to unleash her allergies.

"I didn't know you were allergic to anything," said Kadaj.

"Yeah, the truth ith, I'm allergic to duth and fur when I have a cold," said Sei. She smiled, noticing how funny she sounded. "But iff my health ith fine, my allergieth dithappear."

"Are you going to school?" asked Yazoo. "I am no doctor, and my knowledge on being sick is rather limited, but I think you should stay home and rest—"

"No, juth wait for me, I will be ready in a few minuteth…" said Sei, attempting to sit up. Everything hurt, and it took her a lot of effort to lift her shoulders a few centimeters from the pillow, and after struggling for about ten seconds straight, she dropped back into her bed, incredibly exhausted.

Yazoo looked down on her, somewhat troubled. It looked like her body was aching, much in the manner his had when he had first awakened in their house. He began to say, "I really think you should—" when Sei shouted a big, flat "_NO_!" making the brothers back away a step.

"Listen, I don't want you dying on me." Jake appeared in the doorway fully dressed and ready to go to work. "So, you will stay here, and Loz will take care of you. Loz, can you do me that favor?" Jake added, looking at Loz, who nodded.

"Alright, make her some soup or something hot and steamy and let her rest." Jake turned to Kadaj and Yazoo. "You two were supposed to be in your way twenty minutes ago, so I will just drive you to school today. C'mon, let's go." They all began to move out and finally the house fell silent.

"What do you feel like eating for breakfast?" asked Loz when he walked back to Sei's room. He didn't step in; he stayed at the doorway looking in on her, like if he was scared of getting sick as well.

Sei shrugged. "Anyting ith fine." She said.

"I think Jake has a cook book on soups," said Loz. "Would tea help any?" She nodded with a smile and then he leaped out of sight.

* * *

"Kurosawa and Teki went crazy when they didn't see you in class this morning," Informed Kadaj when they walked into Sei's room. "More than they already were, anyway." He added. Sei smiled; it was nice of Anna and Mimi to miss her when she was absent in school.

"How are you feeling now?" asked Yazoo. He reached out to her and touched her forehead.

"I feel better now." She said. And it was no exaggeration; she had slept most of the day, and every time she woke up, it became easier to breathe, especially with the help of Loz and his soups and teas he brought her. "Loz made some soups, and they were delicious!"

"I figure you were showing off with the girl?" asked Yazoo, looking at his oldest.

The oldest of the three shook his head no. "It was just chicken soup," he assured. Sei nodded.

"By the way, that friend of yours, what is her name?" asked Yazoo, changing the subject.

"Which one?" asked Sei.

"That one that's in your every class." Said Kadaj. "That weird ninja girl."

"Oh, Yuffie? What about her?" Sei was beginning to think she had threatened them or something.

"She neared us during P.E., and threw us a little note," said Yazoo. "Look." He took out a piece of folded paper from his pants pocket, unfolded it and showed it to Sei, who read it silently.

_Where is Sei? Why didn't she come today?_

"What did you say to her?" asked Sei.

"Well, we wrote back, saying you were sick, with a cold," said Kadaj. "We didn't talk to her after that."

Sei gripped her blanket and played with the edges, thinking. Maybe Yuffie had risked talking to them because she wanted to see what their reactions would be? But it hadn't been actual talking, it was a written message she had thrown to Yazoo. Was Cid in charge of watching her while Cloud wasn't there?

* * *

Her thoughts were interrupted when they heard a knock coming from the front door. Yazoo walked through the hallway and opened the front door; who he saw standing on the other side made him widen his eyes in surprise and he was forced to suppress the urgency to slam the door in Vincent Valentine's face.

"Oh… you… I know you from…" Where did he know him from? He was staring at the man, mainly because he didn't really know the guy, but the cloak seemed _very_ familiar. Another thing was, he could feel this guy was siding with Cloud, so one could only imagine his intentions.

Vincent nodded, his red eyes focused on the remnant standing before him. Yazoo stopped talking, took a deep breath and said, "Jake is not here at the moment."

"I am not here to see him." Vincent's calm and cool voice made Yazoo frown. "I heard his sister was sick."

"Yes, that is correct," said Yazoo. There was a heavy silence lingering between them as they stood facing each other at the entrance.

"May I come in?" Vincent asked.

"Ah, yes," said Yazoo moving aside and letting Vincent walk into the house. "Go on into the hallway into her room, she is not allowed to get up."

Vincent turned to him, a questioning look on his face. "Those were her brother's orders earlier this morning." Yazoo led the way back to Sei's room.

"Sei?" he said when he walked in. "You have a visitor." Sei sat up, without muh effort now, ready to receive the visitor. Vincent made a very dramatic entrance and then neared Sei's bed carefully, as if frightened she would die if he made any sudden movements.

"Is your sickness grave?" he asked, in his cool voice.

She smiled. "No, Vincent, it's only a cold. I'll be okay by tomorrow."

"Yuffie sent me to give you this," said Vincent. He held a small cloth bag tied with a ribbon in his golden claw and handed it to Sei. She took it; it was a little heavy, and there was no doubt that its contents were fragile, judging by the way Vincent had been holding it.

"What is it?" she asked, setting the bag on her lap.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" he replied.

She pulled the ribbon and looked inside. The remnants neared her bed to take a closer look at what was inside. "Oh, wow!" said Sei, pulling out a small box. It was black, with blue and silver rose designs.

"I believe it's her way of saying 'get well'," said Vincent. His lips tightened as he tried to control a smile that threatened to appear in his face and patted Sei on the head. "Now, when is your brother getting home?"

"I don't know. But since he didn't go to work yesterday, I think he'll be coming home late," she replied, putting the little box in the bag and setting the bag aside.

Vincent's small smile disappeared from his face. "You will stay here all alone?" Sei gasped and looked at him, her eyes wide in surprise. Then she frowned.

"Loz, I'm hungry," said Sei, still looking at Vincent. "More soup? And teach some cooking techniques to your brothers," she added.

"Okay," said Loz, catching Sei's unsaid message in her edgy voice before walking out of her room.

Kadaj looked at Sei, and said, "Wait a minute, I don't want to learn how to cook, I mean, that's Loz's passion—"

"Kadaj, she said she was hungry. Now let us go make sure brother does not set the kitchen on fire," said Yazoo, dragging his younger brother to the doorway.

* * *

"Yuffie didn't send you," said Sei, when Yazoo and Kadaj had left. "It was Cloud." Vincent turned away from her letting his read cloak trail behind him and leaned on her desk, near the window.

"That's right," he said. Sighing and running a hand through her hair, Sei rolled her eyes.

"So then the box isn't from Yuffie," she assumed.

"No, it _is_ from her," said Vincent.

"You don't trust them either, do you?" asked Sei, getting to the point.

"They have given me enough reasons to think that way," began Vincent.

"Yeah I know that, but they deserve a chance," said Sei. "I also know you think that a few weeks aren't enough to make a few misguided beings regain their way, but they are way better now than they were when you first met them." She paused, thinking on what else to add to what she was saying. God, she hated being sick; it made her mind whirl around with messy thoughts. He took her pause as his cue to finish what he had been in the process of saying.

"You didn't let me finish," said Vincent. Sei closed looked at him. "Despite of what Cloud had asked me to do, I am here with no ill intentions." He crossed his arms on his chest. "Tifa told me about you and them helping her. You know, the way you and her are alike is you can see what others don't. And like her, you are also the voice of reasoning. Why else would your brother accept to have them in this house, in your school, in your life? One thing about Cloud is his pride. I should know, I've had to deal with him for some time."

Sei looked down at her lap. "What _exactly_ did Cloud tell you to do?" she asked.

Vincent released a small dry and forced laugh. "Can't you imagine? Only an obsessed being would ask _me_ to blackmail them to leave and never come back. Not that I couldn't do it," he added after a pause, "but I wouldn't if there were any consequences." He pegged her a look.

"I guess he really doesn't like them." She said.

"It's only natural," said Vincent. "Each one of them reminds him of Sephiroth. Especially the younger one of the three."

"But they're not like him," sei insisted. "Not anymore… and to be honest, I don't think they ever were. Why else would they have been looking for Jenova's head? They wouldn't have been looking for it if they didn't need its powers to be like Sephiroth."

"That is something Cloud is going to be forced into seeing. But don't misinterpret Cloud's intentions, Sei, he really cares about your safety, the same way he cares about Jake." Vincent walked across the room to the entrance. "That soup is sure taking it's time to get here. I'll go see what your friends are up to."

* * *

"Kadaj, I told you to pick up your boot," ordered Yazoo, not taking his sight off the man sitting in front of him and the table between them.

The mentioned boot had been on the floor in that same place for a couple of hours. Yazoo and Vincent had tripped on it—in that order—a few minutes earlier and Yazoo had ordered the same thing to his younger brother. Loz had been the third person to trip on it and was now on the floor trying to sit up. The heavy laughter that came out of his mouth didn't let him though.

"Hold on, I'm carrying this box and I can't see where I'm going," said Kadaj, with his head behind a huge box. "Do me a favor? Can you be my eyes because I can't—?"

"Just watch where you step," mumbled Yazoo, and then he sighed when a crashing noise was heard right after a scream; he guessed Kadaj had tripped on the boot too, had lost his balance like Loz and tumbled out the window.

"Watch where you step.' Is that the best advice you can come up with considering you were the one who tripped first?" Vincent reached toward the table between him and Yazoo.

"You really are one to talk," said Yazoo, also reaching towards the little table with a defiant glare. "You tripped on it too, and you already knew where it was."

"As his older brother you are supposed to pick up his mess," said Vincent.

"I am not. That mess is his; he picks it up. I am in charge of picking up my own mess."

"Funny guy; look how many soldiers you left on the ground and not once did you stop your game to clean your doings."

"I had to go on, or else I would forget my next plan, since you take too long to do anything."

Vincent's eyes were glaring at the remnant by now, as he neared the silver haired man. "Today's the day, remnant. No one has been able to defeat you, but once I reach you, I will make sure you have a chance to beg for mercy."

"Good," Yazoo was as calm as ever. "You have no _idea_ how much I miss hearing those words coming from an adversary."

"You sure know how to sound tough; why don't you stop running around the table and face me like a man?" Demanded Vincent.

"Come now," smirked Yazoo. "Are we afraid you will be so tired you will not be able to beat me once you get your hands on me?"

"And here you go, calling your entire army to protect you from me."

"That is their duty, to be manipulated by me and to help me enjoy my games," said Yazoo. Then he added with a mocking smile, "However I don't see anyone protecting you, I guess instead of being the manipulator, you are the one being manipulated."

"You're going too far, remnant. I will show you I can take you and your crew with my own hands."

"You guys are so dramatic." The new voice startled them both. Sei bit into a salty cracker as she watched them interacting over a chess board that was laid between them. Judging by the figurines on the board, Yazoo was winning.

"It is all good fun," said Yazoo.

"By the way," Vincent added, "aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

Sei nodded and finished her cracker. "I was eating my soup, when I heard a loud bang. And then a scream. I thought you guys were fighting, so I came over to look."

"The noise was due to Loz tripping on Kadaj's boot," replied Yazoo.

"So then what's with the broken window?"

"Kadaj tripped on his own boot and crashed through it, screaming." Said Vincent.

"He _what_?" Sei ran to the window and poked her head out. She saw Kadaj on his back with his eyes closed, relaxed beyond belief with a flower in his hand and pressed to his nose, inhaling its sweet scent. "Too bad the fall didn't hurt him." Hissed Sei.

"What do you mean?" asked Loz.

"That I was so worried I forgot the game room was on the first floor and I worried for nothing!" said Sei.

"Ah." Vincent patted Sei's hot-tempered head. "But it seems the accident has made you forget about your illness. It appears to me, you have been cured." She blushed, acknowledging his conclusion. "Well, I must leave now." Vincent stood up.

"Running away from a losing battle, are we?" teased Yazoo.

"Unfortunately, yes." Said Vincent. A smile almost pulled at the corners of his mouth, but it wasn't quite a smile. "I am expected back in a matter of time. However, if you wish, we can finish the game some other day."

"Another day, then."

"Can I be the cheerleader?" Kadaj had climbed into the game room through the window and had brought the box in with him and settled it before him.

"I'd love to see that," said Sei.

"Okay then." Kadaj opened the box, searched through it and pulled out a pair of pom poms. Yazoo, Sei and Loz gasped as Vincent merely stared at the youngster.

"Give me a 'Y'!" shouted Kadaj, raising his hands over his head so his body would make a "Y". Loz covered his face when he saw this. "Give me an 'A'! Give me a 'Z'! Give me double 'O's! What's that spell?"

"Vincent, you really don't have to see this," said Sei, pulling the red cloaked man towards the entrance.

"It's not like I wanted to anyway," he said, fleeing from the scene and feeling selfless shame.

* * *

Once at the door, Sei held him back by the arm. "What will you tell Cloud?"

He remained silent, seemingly thinking about his answer. "The truth," he said finally. They said good bye to each other and Vincent began walking away before Sei closed the entrance door.

* * *

"Help! I'm getting raped!"

"Shut up and give me those things!"

"_GYAAH!_"

Sei ran into the room just in time to see how Kadaj and Loz crashed through another window together. She stood there for a moment, silently as Yazoo watched her carefully for a reaction. "Are they—?"

"Related?" Interrupted the remnant. "Yes. They are brothers. Can you tell? The family resemblance is amazing, is it not?"

Sei chuckled. "Not that; were they fighting?"

"Oh, not at all. It was their happy dance; they tripped over Kadaj's boot again."

Sei laughed again. "You're being sarcastic, aren't you?"

"A _normal_ human being would have known that without having to ask," teased Yazoo.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" She sent a playful defiant glare at him, and he looked back at her, without blinking or moving, but a smile was threatening to play on his face.

"Oh, I've been looking for you two." Sei and Yazoo turned to face Jake. "Imagine my surprise when I found two wrestling grown men rolling all over the backyard instead."

He pushed Loz and Kadaj forward; Kadaj was smiling innocently and rubbing the back of his head, and Loz was holding the pom poms firmly in his hands, glaring at his younger brother with an embarrassed blush.

"Jake, I thought you wouldn't come home until late?" asked Sei.

"Yeah, well, something came up and— is that a broken window?"

"Is anybody hungry?" asked Yazoo, changing the subject. "I remember Loz made some dinner."

"_Two_ broken windows? IN _ONE_ DAY?"

"Let's go eat!" Sei and the three brothers headed towards the kitchen, ignoring Jakes cries of sorrow and fury.

"Two windows! TWO GOD FORSAKEN WINDOWS!"

* * *

Next day in school, Sei, Kadaj, Yazoo, Mimi, Anna and Yuffie had been assigned to a group project. Yuffie thought there couldn't be a more perfect opportunity to now be able to spend time with Sei and them. Maybe something good would come out of this. But when she told Cloud that where they were meeting would be Sei's house, she was one hundred percent sure he was going to say "No way." However, since Yuffie had said the word "School work" with a lot of emphasis, Cloud agreed, but told Tifa, Cid and Vincent to go along with her, just in case things got bad.

"Why don't you come too, Cloud?" asked Tifa. "You know, your help could be… helpful in case things get _too_ bad." Of course that wasn't what she had in mind; she wanted him to see how much the remnants had changed.

"No, you'll be fine. Besides, I've got some business to do."

"Okay then. I'll take the kids with me," added Tifa.

"No, I'll call a baby-sitter," assured Cloud.

Tifa almost screamed in frustration five minutes later when Cloud climbed onto his bike and left. The only thing that stopped her was the reminder that she would get to spend another afternoon with Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz.

* * *

When the Avalanche team got to Sei's house, Mimi and Anna where already there, preparing the living room to start working. Yazoo and Kadaj where in the kitchen and Loz was in his room, looking for something.

"Hello Sei!" said Tifa. Sei looked up from her chores and smiled widely when she saw who it was.

"I'm so glad to see you!" squeaked Sei, throwing her arms around Tifa and hugging her tight. "It's been a very long time!"

"I know! Where are the others? Where's Jake?" asked Tifa.

"He's working; I called him and asked if we could use our house. But come in, come in. Vincent! Cid! Yuffie! I'm so glad to finally have you all here!" said Sei. She introduced them all. Mimi and Anna recognized Cid from school, and where actually surprised to find that Sei already knew him before they did.

Sei smiled at Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo when they walked in and sat down. "Okay, so what exactly are y'all supposed ta be doin'?" asked Cid, also taking seat in the living room.

"It's like a presentation," said Mimi. "We have to read this guide and then create our own little act with characters of our choice. We have to be as creative as possible."

"That sounds like fun," said Tifa, getting the guide and leafing through it.

"Have you started thinking about what you want to do?" asked Loz.

"Well, we find it a bit difficult," said Yazoo as he bit into a cookie. "In other words, we have not a clue."

"Let me see that guide," said Kadaj. Tifa handed it to him. "Okay, it says… _It has to be creative_, yada, yada, yada…" Kadaj frowned as he read the next piece "_and even if the act is under the Horror category, it MUST have complete sentences because it is possible to think in complete sentences when we're scared, I know from experience…_ We do NOT think in complete sentences when were scared!" He said as he slammed the guide on the table.

"Kadaj, calm down." Said Anna. "We don't have to do Horror anyway. We can do comedy. Or drama or… I don't know."

"How about a musical?" asked Tifa.

"A musical?" asked Sei.

"Yeah. With characters from… Sesame Street?"

"I wanna be Elmo." Said Anna.

"I wanna be Cookie Monster." Said Kadaj.

"I thought you said you weren't doin' a Horror presentation," said Cid. "'Sides, whater they teachin y'all kids? All this business 'bout musicals 'n' shit makes me lower my expectations for the town's future." Everybody burst in laughter. Even Vincent cracked a smile which he immediately hid under the neck of his coat.

"I know… and Sesame Street?" Said Mimi. "It's going to be so embarrassing if we do something like that!" She shuddered to prove her point. "How about we use Shakespeare or something similar?"

"Teki, come on. You don't have to be all smarty pants all the time," said Kadaj. He'd grown out of his habit for calling both Anna and Mimi by their last name, except when he wanted to make a statement.

"I know," aid Yuffie. "We should try to do some weird dances and then see what happens!"

"Exactly. Kadaj, Dance," ordered Anna.

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" replied Kadaj.

"You do it all the time! I don't see why you don't want to right now," laughed Anna.

"Dance is an involuntary movement of the body that shows _spirit_," explained Kadaj. "You can't order _spirit_."

"I am appalled you even know the word," muttered Yazoo.

Tifa who had been drawing during the whole conversation, handed a paper to Cid and asked, "Is it ok if the costumes look like this?"

"What the hell is _that_?" he asked, releasing a small laugh.

"It's the Elmo costume."

"That looks like a bear suffering from anorexia."Tifa slapped Cid on the shoulder.

"Turn the paper horizontally and try drawing it again on that space." Vincent pointed his golden claw at the paper, all of a sudden cooperating.

"Hey, I always get confused… how do you difference horizontal from vertical?"

"Think _Sex_," said Cid. Everyone looked at him. "You know, lying down." He added. "Vertical is… not sex."

"Why not just say up and down or side to side?" asked Kadaj between laughs.

"Let's all work on something!" suggested Sei. "That way we can all help, and we can finish earlier!"

"Me, Kurosawa and Vincent are going to try to draw the costumes," said Tifa.

"I will work with the rest so I can figure out the plot of this nutcase presentation and make the background." Said Mimi.

"And I'm out of here," said Loz. He disappeared in the kitchen as the rest set off to work.

* * *

"We should do something that involves a lot of guns, because our class is made out of mostly guys," said Yuffie.

"Is that comment supposed to have a specific point?" questioned Vincent.

"Well, guys like guns."

"And girls like purses," said Yazoo.

"What's your point?" asked Mimi.

"Think of it," said Cid lighting up a cigarette. "Attack a woman, and she uses her purse to hit you. Purses can be considered weapons."

"Exactly." Said the silver haired remnant.

The women thought about it for some time before they agreed, although one had to wonder how exactly those two knew about such thing. "You see?" asked Kadaj. "Yazoo's always right. Except when he's wrong."

After this, they left the small outside talk aside and focused on the project. Yuffie found it amazing that even though Yazoo was so quiet, he had a lot of good ideas in his mind. He kept the Sesame Street part, but he made it sound like it would be a cool project to show the rest of the students. Kadaj repressed his hyperactive side and helped too, putting in ideas that sounded crazy at first but eventually made sense. Even Cid and Vincent were helping, by throwing out suggestions that could make the project seem far more interesting, although it was obvious that to them the project was pointless and nothing more than a waste of time.

They had all managed to connect somehow, to share ideas, to make suggestions and not be judged, and it seemed the Avalanche team was having fun doing this… It was as if some odd magic spell had been placed upon them. After a few hours, the costume designs were finished, the plot was finished and the background design was finished too.

"Wow, we are done with the skeleton of the whole project. We got that over with earlier than I thought," sighed Sei. "And we have a month to make all this happen."

"Party time I say!" said Kadaj. He pulled a bag of confetti from somewhere in the couch cushions and began throwing it in the air like a little girl would throw flowers around her.

Vincent looked away once again feeling selfless shame, Yazoo smiled, Sei applauded and so did Yuffie, and along with the rest, laughed, relieved they had been able to work together. Mimi began throwing confetti in the air as well.

"Did you get hold of candy on the way here?" asked Anna. "Because you're acting like if you're somebody else again."

"You're a different person?" asked Kadaj. He took her by the shoulders and said "I'll call you Strawberry!"

"That reminds me I have something for all of you," said Loz from the kitchen. "And you'll be so surprised; your eyes will fall out of your _sockets_."Nine eyebrows arched as Loz came in carrying a bowl of something inside. He put it on the living room table and handed little plates to everyone.

"What's in the bowl?" asked Cid.

"This is my own secret recipe, a secret dessert made with 47 secret ingredients," said Loz.

"Wow, this is so… secret," said Yuffie.

Loz lifted the lid from the bowl and revealed a pudding like green substance decorated with all sorts of berries, cookies, chocolate chips, syrup and frosting.

"Loz, why would you bother doing something like this?" asked Yazoo.

"You all worked so hard and I thought it might be nice to have something sweet as a prize…" Loz lowered his eyes.

"Well, this is very nice of you!" Tifa hoped her words might help lighten him up. Fortunately, her plan worked.

"I hope you all enjoy it." Everyone began eating from the delicious dessert Loz had made. It was a little hard for the Avalanche team to believe Loz had made it, since his appearance contrasted with the delicate syrup traces on the dish he had made. Then again, despite their appearances—and past—the remnants were not what they seemed.

* * *

"Is it normal for a 15 year old to believe in Santa Claus?" asked Anna all of a sudden.

"I would say, she is still pretty much innocent. Her mind hasn't been corrupted yet." Said Tifa. "Why?"

"Because my sister still believes in Santa Claus. She already made her list, actually." Said Anna.

"But we're barely halfway September!" Exclaimed Yuffie.

"I know, but she gave it to my mom so she could 'send' it to the North Pole. It says 'Please try to get me at least 5 things on the list.' And there are _exactly_ five things on that list." Anna paused as she took another bite of the sweet in her plate. Everyone else waited in silence for her to continue her story. "They are a TV, a Computer, a cell phone, an iPod and a car. I think this is the year when my mom tells her that Santa Claus doesn't exist."

"You know, Marlene doesn't believe in the tooth fairy anymore," said Tifa.

"Did you accidentally tell the cruel reality to her?" asked Cid eyeing Tifa as if she were some kind of lowlife.

"No," she replied flatly.

"Did Cloud?" asked Vincent.

"Who's Cloud?" asked Anna and Mimi in unison.

"He's a friend of ours." Said Sei.

"No, it wasn't Cloud." Said Tifa. Her face saddened. "He wasn't even around when her first tooth fell." The heavy silence only lasted a few seconds, because Tifa's face suddenly brightened again as she added, "I told Marlene to put it under her pillow. I was so excited I would get to do this that I took the tooth but I forgot to put money in its place." Tifa blushed. Her audience groaned and then laughed. "Now all she does is put them in a little box and save them for when Barrett comes home so he can see them." Tifa concluded.

* * *

They talked more and then Jake finally got home. He opened the door, and saw the Avalanche team eating with the remnants and Sei's friends as if they had been long lost friends, and they were all looking back at him like rabbits frozen by the headlights of an oncoming car. Not only that, but the floor being a carpet of confetti, managed to somehow concrete his thoughts he had definitely walked into an unknown place. "Shit, wrong house." He said.

"Very funny." Said Sei, laughing.

"Is this some kind of weirdo convention? Anything we're celebrating?" Said Jake, coming in and closing the door after him. "Where's Cloud?" Sei told him how they had the project and how Cloud didn't come but had sent the others instead. He helped himself to the dessert Loz had made and complemented the chef. They continued talking and joking around with each other and telling stories until it was time for the visitors to leave.

They said bye to each other and then they all went their separate ways. Jake and Sei remained outside, while the remnants stayed inside, picking up a bit. The cooling night air wrapped about them as crickets chirped and a few fireflies floated in the distance.

"You want to know what I think?" Jake asked Sei. "What?" she asked.

"That they actually had fun. I heard Cid and Vincent talking, and they some things that make me believe their thoughts on the remnants are changing. They might not show it, but I think my suspects are right."

"Well, we gotta thank Cloud for that, because if it weren't for his carelessness, Cid, Vincent, Tifa and Yuffie would never get to befriend them. _If_ they did."

"Oh, they did, I'm sure of that." Jake crossed his arms. "And I'm also sure that because their thoughts are changing, they probably feel a little guilty about it as well."

"How can we make Cloud understand? Honestly, I thought Cid and Vincent would be hard to win over, but they accepted them so easily, I'm almost convinced I'm in another _dimension_," said Sei. Jake smiled as he remembered the scene he had walked into that afternoon; he had thought the exact same thing.

"He doesn't want to." Jake shrugged. "I'm sure he has his reasons, Sei. But you're right. I never thought Cloud could be so thick-skulled. He seemed pretty easygoing. Perhaps it's just some people that he gets along with."

"Or maybe it has to do with Sephiroth killing Aerith." Suggested Sei.

Jake looked up at the dark sky, memories of Aerith coming back to him. She had been a very nice person indeed; he hadn't really spoken to her much, but what he knew about her made it fully understandable why Cloud had collapsed after her death. He himself hadn't been there to witness the true brutality of the act, but he still felt for her, and Cloud and the rest who were affected by her passing. He understood fully why Cloud despised the remnants. "I'm sure it does," he said, sighing. "I'm sure it does."

* * *

He went into the house and Sei followed after him. She went to her room to rest after she had showered, and lay on her bed looking up at the ceiling. Images of the evening flashed before her as if she were watching a movie, and she smiled in the darkness, a happy feeling enveloping her body.

Out of nowhere, the image of Cloud being angry and alone flashed before her and stayed there, as a reminder of her guilt. It was true she had had fun with her friends, but there was no denying that she would've had even more fun if Cloud had been with them. Instead, he chose to turn away and ignore them, sending the others to do what he wasn't allowed, and sitting in solitude by the sidelines.

It was hard for her to believe what Cloud was doing. But it was kind of ironic too. Instead of pulling Avalanche away from the remnants, he had given them chances to befriend them. It was all so confusing. So much so, that she already felt a tiny speck of hate in her heart towards Cloud. She shook her head. She couldn't be thinking that way of the first guy besides her brother to accept _her _the way _she_ was, years ago.


	13. Insinuations

Halloween morning Sei woke up to find that she was on the ground. She guessed she had fallen out of bed like she used to, back in the day when she was younger and only Jake and her lived in the house. She stood up and crawled back into bed. It was weird somehow, that her bed felt different. It seemed to be missing that hollow on the mattress that was a dead giveaway it was her favorite spot to sleep on. She turned seeking comfort to face a bump next to her, under the covers. She also noticed the bump was moving. Lightly and gently, but it was moving up and down.

She got a hold of her cover and noticed it was a different color this morning. Which was odd because she couldn't remember changing it. She took a deep breath… and flung it off the bump. She screamed and then released a kick towards the guy next to her, her foot landing on his stomach, pushing him off the bed. He landed with a loud THUD, the action awakening him. The boy stayed sprawled on the ground, groaning and rubbing his stomach, breathing with difficulty before he managed to sit up with great effort and huffed. His breath sent his bangs flying upward comically.

"Who do you think you are sneaking into my room?" questioned Sei.

The boy eyed her momentarily with squinty mako green orbs before he stood up and rubbed his eyes. "Isn't that _my_ line since it's _my_ bed _you_ pushed me out of?" replied Kadaj, with sleepy annoyance.

Sei looked around confused. _He's right_, she thought. _It's his room. But… what am I doing here?_

"Do you have a habit I should know of, of crawling into other peoples beds when they least expect it?" asked Kadaj as he took the blanket and offered to cover her up, despite the fact that he looked positively pissed off. "Because if that's the case—"

"What's with all the noise?" Yazoo, Loz and Jake walked in. On instinct, Sei took the blanket Kadaj had offered her and pulled the covers up to her chin. Jake frowned when he saw Sei in Kadaj's bed. "What's going on here?"

"Why don't you ask Bed Digger here?" asked Kadaj, pointing to Sei.

"I don't know what's going on either," said Sei. "I woke up on the floor next to his bed!"

"Did she, now." Yazoo looked at his younger sibling and then at Sei.

"Of course she did. I didn't even know she was here until she kicked me out my bed!" said Kadaj. When he noticed Yazoo, he arched an eyebrow and said, "What's the matter? Jealous she wasn't in _your_ room?"

Yazoo's eyes glared at his younger brother with icy calmness. "One more word Kadaj, and the entire city will know every embarrassing thing you have done since you were seven."

"Like what?" Kadaj rolled his eyes.

"Like when you were 14, and you said you weren't afraid of ghosts, but then Yazoo came out with a blanket over his head and you ran out the house screaming like a little girl," said Loz.

Jake and Sei started laughing. Kadaj was trying to smile but at the same time trying to hide an embarrassed blush and Yazoo was smiling and shaking his head. He didn't really mean what he had said...

"Today's Halloween, Kadaj, what are you gonna do?" asked Jake. "There will be ghosts everywhere." Kadaj stood silent. "Oh, that reminds me. I have to go buy some things. Does anybody want to go with me?" added Jake, deciding to give the kid a brake.

"I'll go; I want to buy some things too," said Loz.

"Me too," said Yazoo.

"I'll go too," said Kadaj. "Who knows what these two could say when I'm not around."

* * *

_**At our first meeting that faraway day, you knew immediately how I felt about you. Soon I learned you were Cloud Strife, from the Avalanche team, experimented on by Shinra, used by SOLDIER, mind broken by Sephiroth… Cloud Strife, my brother's friend. You knew my deepest secrets and feelings, and upon knowing my past, you accepted me and my darkest thoughts without hesitation. You also promised me that when you gave me your word, you wouldn't break it. And I still don't know why; if it was actual acceptance, if it was fear, or if it was sorrow. But after that, my feelings for you became a secret between the two of us; a secret hidden from the rest of the world.**_

_**When you disappeared for two years, those feelings began to change into something unexplainable; I can tell I do not feel the same way about you, however. And you can feel it too. **_

_**It's been six times by now that you have found occasional pauses in your busy schedule and look for me, using my brother's name as an excuse to appear before my door. You wait for me to tell you my brother isn't home, and to invite you in, hoping for a chat. But the same question has risen since I first saw you after two years of your absence in Midgar. **_

"_**How do the remnants treat you?"**_

_**Cloud, I'm still alive, aren't I? I have no abuse markings on my body, can't you see? I am happy with them living here; can't you hear it in my voice? Usually when I answer I'm fine, you stand up and leave without a word. But now I have decided to change my answer, and this is what comes out of it…**_

Sei was working on a pair of her pants, putting studs through the fabric when she heard a knock on the front door. She left her work aside and went to go answer it. "Cloud," she said. She smiled.

"Is Jake here?" he asked.

"No," said Sei. She signaled towards the open garage. "As a matter of a fact, you can tell by just peeking in there."

Cloud swallowed and nodded. Heavy silence lingered in the air. "Want to come in?"

"I'll pass." He said. "My work has piled up and I can't afford to fall behind again."

_**You don't fail to answer the same thing every time.**_

"You work too hard," said Sei, leaning her head on the door frame and crossing her arms. "You look pale."

"Is that so?"

"You know the remnants aren't here. They left with Jake. Want to come in?" she repeated.

"Alright. I guess… I can put my work aside for a while." Cloud walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"Want some tea?" asked Sei.

"Could you please?" said Cloud.

Sei poured hot water in two cups. Seeing the questioning face on Clouds face regarding the already boiled water, Sei said, "I was planning on drinking tea before you got here." She handed him his cup. "So, how's life?"

"How do the remnants treat you?" asked Cloud, looking down at her mouth, completely ignoring her question. She sighed.

"Just because the snake is smiling, doesn't mean it's planning on eating you," replied Sei. "Had enough of thinking about the remnants you thought were dead but really aren't?"

Cloud bit his lip from the inside. "Do you want to… finish the job?" Sei smiled at him, a mocking, almost malicious grin the blue eyed fellow hadn't seen for quite a while now.

Cloud looked down at his cup of tea. "You are cruel, you know that?" he said. He looked up at her, into her deep brown eyes. "I want them to go away. I want them to leave and never come back." His cold blue eyes were covered by his eyelids as he drank. "But you have no intentions of letting me handle it so such thing happens, because I _promised_ I wouldn't kill them. And you tempt me, when you have long known I could never break my word to _you_." His eyes opened and they flashed with a hint of annoyance. But more than that, he seemed concerned for her.

Her eyes got narrower and her grin wider. She knew that Cloud's words spoke the truth perfectly well. Cloud stood up. "I have to leave now." Sei stood with him and walked him to the door.

_**Like always, I make tea for you and you only drink from it once.**_

Before Sei could close the door, Cloud turned to face her and said, "To you… what am I to you?"

She looked at him and sighed. "A friend," she replied.

"I know I am, but…" Cloud planned on continuing, but thought better of it and fanned the subject away with a hand. "Forget it, it's a stupid question." Before he turned and walked away, he caught a glimpse of Sei's face, wearing a bothered expression.

_What's wrong with me?_ thought Cloud. _Making her wear an expression like that? What is it that I want to do? Protect her… or destroy her?_ He shook his head. _Of course not. I want to know… why she smiled at me like that… and what's behind that smile…_ when he was sure he was out of Sei's sight, he punched a tree. _I thought my mood would improve if I took a break and had a chat with her. If anything, I'm angrier._

_**Before I knew who he was, I never had any friends. When I first came into this town, I was scared to meet people. The first person to come and talk to me… was Cloud...**_

* * *

"We're home!" shouted Jake when he entered the house hours later. Sei had been busy in her room with her pants again, only she had finished in time to admire her work, put it away and go help her brother. She and her four house mates kept pulling bags from the car and setting them in the living room. When they were finally finished, Sei asked, "What'd you buy?"

"A whole lot of shit," said Jake.

"Wait until you check the bags," said Yazoo, putting his hands on his lower back and stretching. "We almost got the whole store."

"Really?"

"No, he says that because he has never gone shopping for so much 'useless' stuff before," said Loz.

"Kadaj, be careful with that." Jake warned Kadaj, but the mentioned remnant only dropped the bag he had picked up wherever it landed. Jake sighed. "Unbelievable_**. **_Doesn't Kadaj know what be careful with that means?"

"You need intelligence, skill and motivation for this," was singing the youngest of the three brothers.

Yazoo rolled his eyes. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe those are three things that you lack."

Kadaj was about to respond but then changed his mind when he heard a knock on the front door. "You expecting a delivery of idiotic freaks, Sei?" he asked.

"Haha. Move out of the way, jerk." Anna, stepped into the house followed by Mimi who was apparently playing the role of a mule by the amount of bags she was carrying.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Sei.

"We had a very wonderful idea, we are about to do something today I haven't done in quite a while. The plan is to be someone else, knock on a few doors and receiving plenty of glorious sweets," said Mimi.

Kadaj looked at her for a bit and then said, "Does Mimi come with subtitles?"

"We came to dress you up, because we are going trick or treating," said Anna.

Kadaj's eyes rolled back as he flopped on the floor. Mimi looked down on him before asking, "Does that occur frequently?"

"No, when he hears something uber awesome, he normally jumps out a window, does a 2 hour weird dance all over the backyard and _then_ faints," said Jake.

"Yazoo, you're taking photography classes, right?" asked Anna.

"I was."

"Can you give me your book? I have this teacher that's so angry… she says she's gonna throw me out the third floor window if I don't bring my book next week. Because 'I keep forgetting my backpack'. But the truth is I don't have one."

Yazoo looked at her for a moment and then an arrogant smile spread across his face. "I'd rather see you fall," he said.

Jake started laughing hard. "He'll be on the first floor window under yours, outside campus with a camera waiting for you. He'll take endless pictures and then spread them all over town so everyone can have a good laugh at your face!" Yazoo started laughing along with Jake, but was nodding in agreement to everything he was saying.

"You're so mean!" said Anna, laughing along with them.

"I need to look for it," said Yazoo, a bit more settled now. "But will do that after we come back from trick or treating."

"So we're going?" asked Kadaj, who had regained his consciousness.

"None of us has ever done it, I figure there is no reason not to give it a try," said Yazoo.

"And that's why we came, to dress you up," said Anna.

"With a brainless girl like you, I believe we can handle ourselves."

Jake walked into the living room—he had been in the kitchen putting the bags on the dinner table—to find Anna chasing after Kadaj. "He offended her, didn't he?"

"How'd you know?" asked Sei.

"That's always the story. _LISTEN_!" Jake shouted, making them both stop running and look at him. "I have some things in the plastic bags on the table. You can use those and whatever Kurosawa and Teki brought to make your costumes. I will be taking a shower so don't disturb me unless it's an emergency." Jake turned, walked into the hallway and into his room, closing the door behind him.

"Okay, let's get to work," Said Anna.

* * *

They looked through the bags, took what they wanted and went to their rooms. Anna took the remaining guest room and Sei and Mimi shared Sei's room but with their backs to each other. Minutes later, Mimi was finished doing her costume, and decided to go out and help the guys if they needed it.

She was wearing a fairy's costume, really cute, with big fluffy sleeves and big red wings matching a pair of black stripped red gloves and red wand. Sei hadn't figured out what to wear yet.

Being alone, the events of that afternoon when her housemates where gone came to her mind. She wondered if Tifa was going to take the kids trick or treating. Anna knocked on her door. "Sei, are you ready?" she opened it. "What are you doing, woman? You're not ready yet? Come on! Here, I'll help you." She stepped in, closed the door, and opened Sei's closet. Anna was wearing what seemed to be a dog's costume. She had the little ears on her head, removable glove paws and a tail that dragged behind her everywhere she walked.

"The guys are almost done," informed Anna. "They look really awesome. Too bad I already have a boy friend."

Sei laughed. "Here, put this on, and give it a small contrast with this." Anna began throwing things on her host's bed, giving out ideas and getting exited.

Sei ended up being dressed as a white and black jester; the hat on top of her head had holes in which hair could be pulled through so the hat could stay in place. Since her hair was black and white, it looked as if it were part of the costume. Instead of wearing the pointy shoes a jester would wear, she was wearing her platform black boots with white shoelaces. One of her gloves was white and the other black. As for her makeup, it was a pale face with black designs around her eyes and black lips.

"You look great." Said Anna. "Pretty, deadly, and dark."

Sei smiled and then stepped out into the living room. There she saw Loz dressed as Super man; he had the boots, the cape, the underwear, and the body. Only thing was, he was using a darker shade of red. His silver hair had grown back out, leaving a few black haired tips at the end, which made him look like a unique version of the hero.

Kadaj was dressed as a Vampire; he had the fangs, the cape, the claws, the red lips, the dark circles around his eyes and the evil glare vampires were infamous for before jumping on its prey. His hair had grown as well, a few inches past his shoulders, but he hadn't trimmed the tips away like Loz. If anything, the hair made him look more vampiric.

Yazoo was dressed as a steampunk. He had the Victorian clothing under a leather trench-coat—which looked suspiciously a lot alike the trench-coat he'd been wearing when he'd first been found— the accessories that made his character fully come to life; his hair was pulled back in a low pony tail and he was waving Loz's strange blade-gun around.

Anna had been right, they all looked so awesome. "Wow, you can be _my_ source of entertainment when I someday have my dark castle in some dark place." Kadaj covered his face with the cape like a vampire would as he spoke to Sei.

"We all agree that Sei looks awesome," said Anna. "Now, here's what we'll do. We will go get candy, go around town, and then when we come back, we might order pizza. Any questions?"

Kadaj raised his hand. "I thought the point of Halloween was to dress up as something," he said.

"Whats your point?"

"That you're dressed as a dog. But you're already a bitch," explained Kadaj.

"Just once I'd like to knock him through the roof."

"I believe we still have time for that," said Yazoo.

Anna smiled evilly. She began to near Kadaj, when Jake burst into the living room and shouted, "WAIT!"

Kadaj moved to hide behind Loz as Jake continued. "Damn, all of a sudden, everyone seems to be revolving around the idea of destroying my house. Look, Kurosawa, knowing Kadaj, I'm sure he deserves whatever you have planned for him, but this is my house, and there are certain rules that must be followed. Like No Knocking people through the roof, walls and windows. If possible, kick him out an _open_ door and take it outside."

"You're lucky this table, Jake and your brother are standing between my foot and your ass," said Anna, looking at Kadaj.

"How about we start leaving?" said Jake. They decided to drive to the city, and leave the car near 7th Heaven, and walk around from there. Since Jake was driving, and Loz was the side passenger, the other 5 had to go in the back. Anna refused to sit on anyone's lap, so Sei had to sit on Kadaj's while Mimi sat on Yazoo. They joked all the way until they got out and started walking towards the most crowded streets, filled with kids and adults in costumes.

* * *

They parked the car and got out, talking and laughing and pushing. They got to the first house. They had to go through a "haunted" section to get to the front entrance and get candy.

"How about we go to the next house?" asked Loz.

"I agree with him," nodded Kadaj. "You never know what could happen in there; I could get raped or kidnapped or maybe some monster could jump out and go 'OGA BOOGA!'" shouted Kadaj, raising his arms over his head.

"It was amazing how much stupidity you radiated, but yes, you have made a point." Yazoo looked his younger brother over and then came to a decision. "So, if you are afraid of going alone, I will go with you." He began walking in. Kadaj turned to Sei, Jake and Anna, who were staying behind.

"If you happen to see someone running out and screaming like crazy…" said Kadaj, "It's just me." He followed the others as if he was being forced into the military.

"He could be so dramatic sometimes." Said Sei.

"'ELLO! _Hic_!" they turned to see a stranger swaying on the very edge of the side walk. He was dressed as Santa Claus, and judging by the heavy alcoholic breath of his, he was drunk. He slurred the words once in a while as he talked.

"Shouldn't you be in a corner ringing a bell?" asked Jake.

"I wanna give you this picture, darling." The drunken Santa Claus took out a regular piece of paper and gave it to Jake. The man looked at Sei and his eyes widened. He was about to say something but then Anna grabbed him by the arm and firmly shoved him away. He stumbled and then looked back at her, but Anna's eyes narrowed at him; for a moment something seemed to exchange between them. Then all of a sudden he flipped around and yelled, "YOHO, YOHO _hic_, MY FINGERS BROKE _hic_…"

Sei saw how the guy began swaying into the street. "Whoa, hang on mister, if you keep walking in that direction, you'll—"

"—get run over." Yazoo's sudden cool voice made everyone jump in surprise. The drunk tried to run away, but only succeed in taking a few steps before tripping and falling.

"You instantly know you have drinking problems when the bartender and the city know your entire life and that's the first time you've visited the place," said Kadaj walking up beside them. They agreed with him and went on to the next house, leaving the drunken Santa Claus on the floor.

"Oh look!" said Anna waving her hand in the air. "It's my boyfriend!" The guy came over; he was dressed as a gentleman, if he wasn't already. He hugged Anna and kissed her ear.

"What's he doing?" asked Kadaj.

"I think he's trying to suck her brains out." Said Loz.

"Poor guy is going to starve," teased Yazoo.

The gentleman was pretty tall, slender, with short brown hair, hazel eyes and with a hypnotizing smile. He introduced himself as Toki. He eyed the others with a rapid scan and stopped when his eyes fell on Sei's face. Before she had the chance to smile at him, his eyes shifted again towards Anna and whispered something into her ear.

"Toki says that we should get going because the people giving candy are running out of treats." Anna spoke to the others with a smile before she got a move on.

* * *

They began walking around the whole neighborhood, ringing bells, shouting "Trick or Treat!" and collecting candy. Toki was behind them throughout the whole time, almost as if trying to pull himself out of the rest who were having a great time, but at the same time trying to stay close enough to them. He was invited to go to Sei's house for some Pizza later that evening, and he accepted with a single firm nod. For some reason, he kept eyeing Sei and Jake, and Sei was the one who noticed it, but she set the uncomfortable feeling aside, thinking that maybe it was just her huge imagination working full time again.

"HOLY SHIT!" screamed Kadaj. They all stopped on their tracks alarmed. "Find a penny; pick it up… something, something, Good Luck!" They all rolled their eyes. "Wait guys, let's go in there." Kadaj signaled to a house that was locked, fenced up and with a huge sign that read "KEEP OUT" and in small letters underneath "Beware of Dog".

"I don't know, it could be dangerous," warned Jake.

"Oh, C'mon," pleaded Kadaj "Nobody puts a 'KEEP OUT; Beware of Dog' sign if there wasn't something fun on the other side."

"I can't find any faults in his logic," said Mimi, throwing a wrapper away and chewing her candy furiously.

"Yeah, I mean, nothing bad ever came from ignoring a sign," said Kadaj, as he and Mimi began to climb over the fence.

"What is she, insane?" asked Jake. "Isn't she supposed to be the brains of this group? What does she mean 'No faults in his logic'?"

"She ate candy," began Anna, "And so the thing would be, that Mimi is stupid when she eats candy. Not just stupid, stupid, I mean _really_ stupid."

"_**DOOOOOOOGGGGGG**_!" screamed Kadaj.

"You better not be talking to me like that or I'll…" Anna turned and when she saw Kadaj, she started laughing. They all turned to see Kadaj and Mimi were on the other side of the fence, backing away from a fierce looking dog.

"Oh, no," said Sei.

"What do we do? WHAT DO WE DO?" was screaming Kadaj.

"You're asking me?" yelled Mimi. "A retarded, sugar high, brainless girl? ARE YOU CRAZY?"

"SHUT UP! The only one allowed to release hysterics here is me!" shouted Kadaj. Without a warning, Toki jumped over the fence and pulled a maneuver as if trying to shield Kadaj and Mimi from the canine. The dog looked at him, and it wagged its tail in recognition for a moment; Toki grabbed a stick from the floor and threw it really far away, hoping it would go get it. The plan worked. With that, he helped Mimi and Kadaj jump over the fence, and then he himself followed in rush.

"So much for good luck!" said Kadaj, throwing the penny away.

"Hey, you're still alive, right?" asked Toki. "Isn't that good luck?"

"I guess Bitches are really scary sometimes," teased Anna, putting her arm around Kadaj's shoulders. Toki's laughter echoed in the cool, night air, along with Loz's, Jake's and Sei's laughter.

"Oh, hey! I didn't know you were here too!" said a familiar voice. They all turned to see Tifa standing a few feet away with Marlene, Denzel and Cloud by her side. Cloud and Tifa were dressed as usual, but Marlene was dressed as Princess, her costume complete with a crown and her Prince, being Denzel.

* * *

Cloud smiled slightly, but tensed when the remnants approached them. Thinking that perhaps he should give it a rest for that day, especially because the kids were with him, he forced himself to relax. Surely the remnants wouldn't be stupid enough to attack in the middle of the—who the hell was he trying to kid? They had attacked the city in the middle of day, for crying out loud. He took a look at Sei, and felt she knew he was trying to control his impulses. _Don't attack_, he thought. _Don't attack…_

* * *

"My Princess, It is an honor for me to kneel before you." Said Yazoo. He kneeled on one knee, took Marlene's hand and kissed it. Cloud repressed the urgency to pull the girl away, but Tifa smiled at how cute that looked. Marlene gasped at first recognizing his green eyes, but relaxed when she remembered Cloud, Tifa, Sei and Jake were there too.

"It's an honor for me to know you… er… your name please?" Marlene played along.

"Yazoo, Princess. The name is Yazoo." He kissed her hand again and then pulled away, giving a victorious dark stare at Cloud.

"Princess! What a charming prince you have here." Sei played with Denzel's hair as the boy blushed. Marlene smiled.

"My, My, is this a weird group of individuals or is it my imagination?" They all turned to the sidewalk to see Reno and Rude standing before them.

"Let's see; we have a low class blood sucker, a super fast hero from another planet, a reality outcast, a horrendous pixie, a boring clown, a tamed bitch, a wanna be pimp and two pretend to be rich kids. What is this, a circus?" asked Reno.

"None of your goddamned business." No one found it strange that Jake's mood had gone from calm to completely filled with hatred.

Reno looked at him. "Long time no see, Jake."

"Cloud. It seems you didn't finish these… _things_ like you told us you would," said Rude, looking at the remnants. Then he added in a mocking tone, "I see you couldn't finish your assignment." Sei, Tifa and Jake looked at Cloud, who didn't say anything.

"Are you so weak hearted you can't kill them?" challenged Reno.

Loz, Yazoo, Kadaj and Cloud looked at Reno with different causes of anger, and knowing what would come next, Jake interfered.

"HEY!" he shouted. They all looked at him. "You two, what do you want?"

"A little bird told me these three were still alive," answered Reno. "We came here to finish the job." He took a step forward. Anna shifted her weight uncomfortably, as so did Toki and Mimi. It was obvious they wanted to know what was going on, but were too afraid to ask.

_Yeah, well, I got bad news_, thought Jake. "I'm the one who's finishing things here," he said, stepping up to Reno, their chests almost touching. "Take one more step towards them, and you will regret it." His dark eyes flashed. "I want you to get out of here, stay away from us. Leave us alone. Do you understand?"

Reno sighed. "I don't want to mess with you, Jake, but…"

"You see the people standing behind me? They might not all get along, but they're all my family. You mess with any of them, you mess with me. And I guarantee that's the last thing you want to do. That clear enough for ya?"

"Do you know who they are?" questioned Rude.

"Oh, you mean Sephiroth's remnants?" hissed Jake. He smiled at how taken aback both males seemed. "Yeah I knew. I know their story. That includes the time when they were kicking your asses down town. They've been dying to fight someone; I'm sure they'd like to back me up here. That is, supposing you two decide to get it on. Right here, right now." Marlene and Denzel uttered a sound much like a whimper of fear as they pressed their tiny bodies against Tifa's legs.

"Cool it man," said Reno. "We're leaving. Relax." Reno and Rude stepped back slowly, putting their hands up in surrender. "We're not coming back. Just remember, that if anything happens, it's in your hands." Jake frowned, challenging them. They both raised their eyebrows before they turned around and left.

* * *

This was bad. Not only had this conversation taken place publicly and in presence of three people who had no idea of who the remnants really were, but it was apparent the group had a snitcher who had gone out to tell Shinra about the remnants survival and location. When Jake turned to face his friends, his eyes were red and puffy and his facial expression showed agitation. "Cloud, can I talk to you for a sec?" Without waiting for an answer, he stalked over to him, took his arm and dragged him away from the rest with Sei following. Tifa and the kids regrouped with the others awkwardly clearly bothered at what she had just witnessed.

When he was sure he had dragged Cloud out of ear reach from the rest, Jake let go of him and turned to meet him straight in the eye. "Want to tell me what that was all about?"

Before Cloud could answer, Sei came up beside Jake and said, "I thought I could trust you!"

"You can!" said Cloud. "I don't know who told them, but I didn't. Sei, I haven't had any contact with them since… the freeway explosion!"

"Then what's with all the business you keep doing?" asked Jake. "What is so important that you can't stop to rest and visit us for a few minutes even?"

Cloud decided not to mention the fact that he had visited Sei that afternoon, especially since it was obvious he was mad and ignorant on the circumstances. "Jake I didn't tell them anything. The business is that delivery service, and I can't stop by because requests come in 24/7. When I go to bed and then wake up, I have about 15 to deliver first thing in the morning."

"So what did Reno mean when he said, 'it seems you didn't finish these… _things_ like you told us you would'?" Sei's eyes flared with disgust.

"I told them I would finish the remnants before I fought with Sephiroth _three months ago_," said Cloud. By the way he was looking at them both, they could tell he was feeling uncomfortable and weak being questioned like that.

There was a moment of silence. Jake and Sei were looking at Cloud, trying to decide if they should believe him or not. Cloud met them straight in the eye; he had nothing to hide. Jake sighed. He took out a packet of cigarettes from his pants pocket and took one out, lighted it and inhaled deeply. He let the smoke wander in his lungs for a few seconds before exhaling. "You sure that what you're telling me is true?" he asked.

Cloud frowned and then nodded. "Yes, I'm sure." Sei could feel his hidden fury getting more intense. All of a sudden she felt like she should've done a little more digging before jumping to conclusions.

Jake inhaled from the cigarette again, and threw it on the floor, stepping on it to put it out. He let the smoke out and ran a trembling hand trough his hair. "Alright," he said. "Alright. Sorry to have jumped on you like that."

"Me too," said Sei.

"It's okay," Cloud assured, although his gaze revealed it wasn't okay. His cold blue eyes were colder, and they were literally throwing sparks of anger as he looked at Sei and her brother. His hands were also shaking, which was a sign he was fighting the urge to fist up his hands and punch someone—Jake— in the face. But he took a deep breath and decided to leave the matter aside. With a shaky voice, he said, "I have to take the kids trick or treating before work piles up again. Are you coming?"

"Nah," said Jake patting the blond on the shoulder. "We're going home already." They said good bye to each other and then Cloud called Tifa and the kids away from the rest.

* * *

The others started walking to the car. "Toki, you are joining us, right?" asked Jake.

"Yeah," he replied.

They climbed back to how they were before, only this time, Anna was sitting on Toki's lap. When they got home, Toki, Yazoo and Kadaj offered to go get the pizza. The others stayed home.

Jake walked to his room with Sei following after him. "So what's your plan?" she asked.

"I'm afraid we can't count on Reno's and Rude's word," he said. "I'm going to have to find them and erase their memories."

"That's too dangerous; it will take up a whole lot more energy than erasing the whole city's memories. You have to find them, find the memories that are to be erased and—"

"We can't risk it, Sei, and you know it." Without waiting for a reply from his sister, Jake sat on the edge of his bed, put his elbows on his knees and pressed his temples with his middle and index fingers.

Within a few minutes, he was breathing fast, like if he had ran a long distance in very little time. His face tensed up a lot, and his eyes were shut hard. He started growling. "Jake, just stop…" whispered Sei. But it seemed to her, he was in the zone, for he didn't make a movement that indicated he had heard her. She paced around the room, stealing glances at his brother, looking for signs that he was near his goal. It was taking longer than expected.

Finally she saw what she had been waiting for; Jake stopped breathing, his fingers pressed down at his temples hard and winced. She came to sit next to him, waiting eagerly for him to finish before something awful happened. Finally his eyes flipped open and his hands released his head. He blinked several times, and then shook his head. The movement might have been too much for him; he collapsed sideways, onto his sisters lap.

"What happened?" she whispered very low. She knew that after her brother had erased memories, his ears where more sensible than usual and that didn't allow her to talk normally.

"I did it. I erased Reno's and Rude's memory, along with your friends," he gasped. "But I had to hurry."

"It's fine," she whispered. "Just rest now, okay?"

He nodded. He was gasping terribly, and that worried her. She bowed and kissed a spot where the neck ends and the back begins. She hugged him and pressed her cheek against the kissed part of his body. That always helped relax him for some reason. And like many times before, it worked again.

* * *

She heard a knock on the door before it opened. "Sei, the—"

"SHH!" hissed Sei. Yazoo was at the door and walked in closing it behind him.

"What happened?" he whispered.

"He erased Reno's and Rude's memories." She whispered back. "He also erased Mimi's, Anna's and Toki's memories too. Right now he's exhausted."

"Ah." _So that explained the blank look Toki had pulled on the way home from the pizza parlor._ "Is he coming to eat later?" Yazoo kneeled in front of Sei and her brother to see Jake's face.

"I doubt it. I think he'll sleep in 'till tomorrow. Help me lay him comfortably, please."

With Yazoo's help, she laid her brother on his bed and covered him. She bent down to kiss his cheek and his forehead. She then sat beside him, caressing her brother's arm tenderly.

"It was amazing," Yazoo whispered. Sei looked at him; he had kneeled beside Jake's bed, with his arms resting on the mattress. "The way he defended us back there. It was amazing. I never thought somebody would appreciate me and my brothers enough to be considered family. You and your brother… are really something else." In the dim light, she could see how Yazoo reached out to move a strand of hair out of Jake's face. That delicate touch traveled from her brother's body to Sei's own, and shivers went up and down her spine.

"I was the one who looked after them," continued Yazoo, pulling his hand back and resting his head on his hands. "My brothers. It was my duty since Kadaj is always running around crazy and Loz is strong but only physically." Sei smiled. "We wanted a mother; that is one of the reasons we caused all the mess Jake is trying to erase. They always looked for a mother's kindness. But even when I cared for my brothers, I could not ever do that for them. The more I tried to be kind, the less it worked, and I ended up being the sarcastic, bitter one of the three. I had no knowledge of how to protect them like a mother does. I was no mother, nor a father; I was not responsible enough to save Kadaj from dying, and Loz also died breaking my fall from the building. I could not ever know how to protect anyone like Jake does. That is why I admire him."

Sei allowed what he had said to sink in. She could feel a knot in her throat as she spoke. "You wanted someone to protect you too. But you never stopped to think about that. You were too busy trying to be parent." She said. Then she added, "You and him have more things in common than you think. Jake took me in, and tried to raise me."

"For a 'try', he did a outstanding job," he said. The way he smiled at her so gently and sincerely made him seem so stunningly beautiful, it was overwhelming, especially as his green eyes appeared to glow in the darkness.

She could hear her pulse on her ears and feel her blood running to her cheeks as she blushed and she bowed her head so her white and black hair could hide her rosy face. Yazoo's hand reached out and tucked her hair behind her ears. "You are hiding," he said. "There is no need to do such thing when you are pretty." Sei's blush grew deeper.

"I can hear Kadaj eating the pizza." She said standing up before things got any further. "We better hurry or we won't get any."

Yazoo chuckled. "True, true." He stood up and then walked to the door, followed by Sei.

"'Night Jake. Hope you have a good rest." They closed the door and ran into the living room when they heard a crash. Surely someone—Kadaj— had tumbled, jumped… or had been thrown out a window.

* * *

And so, this chapter is now over. Um... I was having a hard time during my life, which is why I put so much detail into the part where Jake and Sei are questioning Cloud, and also the part where Reno and Rude come across. I'm not sure if those two will be reappearing again in this story, or if Rufus will at all. Review your opinion, please.

**(DA36)**


	14. Control

On a particular Monday afternoon, Sei walked into her house followed by Yazoo and Kadaj. They all stopped for a few seconds to notice that a huge stop sign was settled in the middle of the living room for all who came in to see. Sei sighed and didn't give the sign much importance; she thought Jake had probably stolen it from somewhere and was now trying to get a reward from it. It wasn't rare when that happened; Jake was constantly looking for ways to trip out the system. She was actually beginning to wonder how come it had taken him so long to steal the next traffic sign. To her surprise, as soon as she walked passed it, Jake appeared out of nowhere blowing a whistle madly into her face, startling her and the other two right out of their skins.

"What's your problem?" demanded Sei.

"What's yours?" Jake returned. "Can't you respect Stop Signs?"

"Was I supposed to bow, say hello and introduce myself?"

"Yeah, very funny Sei."

"Jake, answer me this question. What the hell is a Stopsign doing in the middle of the living room this time of the year?"

"I'm planning on helping you study for your driving test today," said Jake.

"Well, you can take the sign back from wherever you took it, because I can ace that test by myself."

"Sei, when I tested you yesterday, you almost ran over an old lady in a wheelchair."

She should've known that one was coming. "I didn't mean to!" she rolled her eyes. "And she came out of nowhere! She must've had escaped from a crazy asylum to have been pushing that wheelchair so fast!"

"Excuses, excuses! You exaggerate like always my dear sister."

Sei gave Jake a challenging look and opened her mouth; just then Jake lifted his arm, whistle in hand and said "No more arguing; here, bring two chairs and a hula hoop and we'll pretend we're in a car."

"Why can't we do it in a real car? _Your_ car."

"And risk you crashing it?"

"But I'm going to be using it later today, why not get used to it a little bit?" pressed Sei.

"No way." Jake used that tone of his that Sei knew all too well; it meant that there was nothing in existence that would make him change his mind at the moment.

Sei rolled her eyes again and went to the kitchen to get two chairs while Yazoo went to the garage to look for the hula hoop.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jake was telling Kadaj to help. "What am I supposed to do?" asked the remnant.

"Jump out of nowhere and if Sei doesn't pretend to stop, you'll pretend to have been runned over and you'll be in pretended pain, okay?"

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Fine," said Jake, pulling out his wallet. "I'll pay you $20."

Kadaj looked at the money Jake was handing out to him and backed away one step saying; "That's not fair; I mean I'm not even supposed to be here, I have some homework to do and besides, I'm not good at pretending and—"

"Ok, make it $22." Said Jake pulling on a smile.

Kadaj took the money and with a greedy smile said, "You got yourself a deal, sir."

* * *

At the moment the remnant was pocketing the money, Yazoo walked in with Sei who came back with the two large, seat cushioned, wooden chairs and settled them side by side; Jake sat on one and Sei on the other and then she took the hoop Yazoo was handing her.

"What's the hoop for?" she asked.

"Think of it as the steering wheel," said Jake.

There was silence as she held the "steering wheel" in front of her for a few moments. "Are Yazoo and Kadaj doing this too?" she finally asked.

"No, Yazoo already knows how to drive and I trust Kadaj has driving skills. You, on the other hand… I don't think the world is ready for you."

Sei rolled her eyes at the comment and started to drive. "What are you doing?" asked Jake.

"Playing your game."

"You can't drive a car if it's not on."

"You know what? I don't give a—"

Jake looked at her with a stern look, and with a raised eyebrow. Sei sighed. She pretended to turn on the car, and Jake was beside her doing all the car noises. She was about to start driving again, when her brother stopped her once more. "You can't drive a car if the car's gear shift is on park."

Sei tightened her grip on the hoop and licked her lips as she pretended she shifted the gear to drive. "Look out your three mirrors before leaving, Sei."

…Okay, so he had good intentions in mind, but they were triggering Sei's sense of murder every time he corrected something. Nonetheless, ignoring that need to strangulate him, she did what her brother asked her to; she looked out the three imaginary mirrors, looked back to make sure no imaginary car was coming, and then slightly eased on the imaginary gas pedal to go forward into the imaginary street ahead of them.

Several times she was reminded to move the wheel a little to assimilate an actual steering wheel. They went on with the game for a while and Sei was beginning to lose the whole point of the activity. But then, just as he was instructed, Kadaj jumped in front of her and stomped heavily twice; Sei, instead of stepping on the imaginary brake, screamed and pushed backward sending herself the chair and the hula along with her. As she did this, her legs flew up in the air as reflex to try and compensate and regain balance; however, she only succeeded in kicking Kadaj away.

"I thought the pain was supposed to be pretend…" said Kadaj from the ground rubbing his chin and moving his jaw making sure it didn't lock in place.

"Nice one, Sei. You ran over Kadaj."

"Can _I _run over him now?" asked Yazoo from the couch as he leaned his head to the side with amusement like he usually did. Kadaj looked angrily at him.

"Sei, you need more practice, you had the same reaction as a person that was hypnotized by the street—"

"You know what? This isn't working. I can't do this." Sei stood up and straightened the chair. "Jake, don't forget I have to take your car to the driving test today."

"I'm sort of thinking about it, but Im not sure for how much damage I can pay for," said Jake. Then he added, "What's wrong with you? Are you blind?" when Sei ignored the Stop sign a second time.

"Can you believe the nerve of that girl?" He accused. He stood up and helped Kadaj stand then took the chairs back to the kitchen. He decided he had tried to help but heaven help them if Sei was going to go around town driving… all he could do was get on his knees and beg for someone from the above—perhaps the people in Lifestream— to help his sister pass the damned driving test without sending someone to the hospital. "Hey, I'm taking a shower!" announced Jake. "I'm keeping the keys since I am going with you all later."

* * *

Minutes later, when Jake came out of the shower, Loz was reading the newspaper in the living room. Without bothering to look up from the news, he wiggled a finger towards the stop sign; "What's with the, ah…"

"It's a long story," sighed Jake. He noticed the house was awfully quiet. "Where's Kadaj?"

"He's with Sei and Yazoo waiting for you in the car," Loz answered simply. "He said he wanted to see how the whole deal worked, before he got his own license tomorrow." He licked the tip of this finger and then changed the page as he added "I suggest you take a few chains, since I saw him eating a chocolate bar before he went outside."

The color drained from Jakes face as his body tensed. No wonder the oldest remnant was acting so calm; he didn't want to go with them and was leaving Jake and them to fend for themselves as they confronted Kadaj's insanity later when the sugar kicked in. Loz finally lowered the paper and looked up at Jake when he didn't reply. "Don't worry," he said when he saw Jake standing across from Loz with a worried expression. "I'm sure Yazoo and Sei can help you handle him." Loz lifted the paper again. It was clear he was going to stay home.

"Yeah…"Jake kept his body tense as he added, "I hope so."

* * *

There were two parts to the test; the obstacle part and the real street driving part. So far, Sei had not done very well and had had to repeat the course several times with a bit of bribery to the school from her brother. In the obstacle part, the school had bright obstacles that the student had to react to in an acceptable manner; orange cones, fake animals and humans to dodge; stop signs, street lights, speed bumps to respect; sharp curves to slow down, etc. So far, Sei had run over a couple of people, ignored street lights and stop signs and speed over a couple speed bumps. She wasn't using Jake's car yet—much to the likes of him—, but she was using a car the school had lend her.

It was already six in the afternoon and Yazoo had already acquired his license approximately an hour prior. There was a huge gray building a few yards from the area of the parking lot, and the remnant was standing under the shade of said building along with Kadaj and Jake, watching from the sidelines how Sei struggled with the obstacles out in the parking lot. They had small conversation earlier, but having had run out of topics to chat, now the three men stood silently, each of them hoping Sei would get the test over with soon. Finally, Yazoo turned away from Sei and towards Jake.

"You know, judging by the arguments earlier today between you and your sister," he said as he leaned his back against the waist-high handrail, "I thought she would be a lot better at this task."

Jake kept looking ahead as he leaned against the building and decided to let that comment pass as he sighed. Yazoo's hopes for a new chat, or even an argument, had disappeared so he simply sighed as well and looked down at his boots; surely they had something more interesting to offer than anything else out there at the moment. Since they didn't, he grabbed a section of his hair and scanned it closely in search for split ends.

Kadaj, who had been standing like a statue despite the sugar in his system, came up beside Yazoo and leaned his elbows on the rail as he watched Sei decapitate a fake deer with the front fender of the car. He was silent for a while longer until… "You know, I read somewhere that—"

"Do not even think about finishing that sentence." Interrupted Yazoo quietly, not bothering to look up from the piece of hair in his hands. "I will not believe you anyway."

"Why not?" Kadaj looked back at his brother; he looked hurt.

Yazoo finally let go of his hair and looked down at his younger brother with the same cold expression he always had and simply stated, "Because you never read." Jake cracked a smile and bit his lip hoping to successfully repress a laugh.

"That's a lie!" said Kadaj, his expression turning from hurt to annoyed. "I do read! I just… well, you… and then… Oh, shut up."

Yazoo smirked slyly and then looked down at his hands as he poked at his fingernail. For a moment, there was a comfortable silence between the brothers; the kind of silence that would come across every now and then in the older days when they were both much younger and much more isolated from the world. Jake didn't say anything either; he seemed to be enjoying the silence as much as the other two were. Just then, Yazoo remembered Sei's brother was with them and suddenly he felt a little uncomfortable to be sharing such intimacy with him. The remnant sighed as he shook all those feelings of nostalgia away by flipping his hair behind his back and crossing his arms. "You already got your license, Yaz," said Kadaj, who had been watching him carefully. "Why don't we leave?"

"Because they have the car." Yazoo nodded over to Jake as he uncrossed his arms and sat on the rail behind him. "And the way things are going, I believe we will not be leaving anytime soon. Besides," he added as he looked at his brother with a sly smile, "I feel too lazy to walk home."

Suddenly Sei's car stopped hard, making the car brakes sound loud as the wheels slid over the pavement. With alert filling their bodies and making them tense, the remnants and Jake snapped their heads and bodies back towards the vehicle. "Maybe the test is over," suggested Kadaj. All three men exchanged a "not likely" look before they jumped over the rail and jogged over to the car.

* * *

Sei and the teacher were having a deep conversation when they got there. "Is it over?" asked Jake.

Sei looked out the window into her friends faces. "No guys. I have to do it again," she said avoiding Jake's eyes.

"Aw, I'm tired of waiting out there," complained Kadaj.

Yazoo opened the car's back door and pushed Kadaj in as he said "Waiting out there is frustrating. Get in."

"What the— ah, who cares as long as you stay quiet," said the teacher. "Come on Sei. Turn the engine on and let's do this again."

Sei sat in silence at the driver's seat, apparently spaced out. "What's wrong?" asked Kadaj.

"It's because… I forgot how to turn it on."

"Again?" said the teacher.

"What do you mean _again_?" asked Jake frowning as he closed the car door behind him.

"I mean, she's forgotten her lesson 3 times!" explained the instructor, his face beginning to turn red. "I've been teaching driving school for 50 years and it's the first time I get such a beast-like student." He reached over and pointed with a fat finger. "There. Turn it… The other way… Good, now put it on drive and let us continue."

They felt the car moving a little bit when they all jerked forward as Sei stepped on the brake. "What happened?" demanded Kadaj.

"Its cuz, I messed up and I accidentally set it on reverse!" Sei sounded nervous as she fumbled with the gear shift.

"It's not easy being a driving teacher."

"But you're doing a fine job showing what you're made of and hanging on," assured Sei.

"Let us continue." The teacher looked down on his clipboard.

Sei did as told. But she had only moved a bit when she braked suddenly again. "If you keep doing that, you're gonna give us all whiplash," said Jake.

"I'm sorry. But I can't do this." She said. She shifted the gear to park, sighed exasperated and covered her face with her hands adding, "I'm no good. I guess I'll have to come back tomorrow."

"Yeah, that sounds good – wait, WHAAAT?" shrieked the teacher. From the way his eyes were bulging it was obvious he wasn't looking forward to it. But either Sei ignored it, or didn't catch his fear.

"I'm beginning a journey without turning back." Her hands dropped to her lap as she looked ahead. "I look into my future… Into my Drivers License… and I see I won't get it anytime today."

* * *

There was silence in the car, everybody thinking about what she had just said. Only the car engine could be heard; it was so strange how the situation had turned so dramatic. All of a sudden all hell broke loose when Yazoo took the driving instruction booklet from Jake's hands abruptly and leafed through it noisily and quickly. He was thinking the exact same words Jake had said a couple of months earlier; _"Desperate situations call for desperate measures."_ When he found what he was looking for, he leaned forward onto the back of the front seat and shoved the book right in front of Sei's face.

"Here, read these pages, it will help you if you memorize them."

"But I don't have that much memory!" Sei looked back at Yazoo's calm face frantically. "I can close my eyes and forget what clothes I'm wearing!"

"Well then rip them out and look at them when you're having doubts; tape then on the windshield if you have to, as long as you pass this test," suggested the silver haired remnant.

"What if the director of the school comes?"

"Then we'll say, 'oh excuse us while we vandalize school property and cheat on this test, please go check on other students until we're done. Thank you!'" said Kadaj as he reached in and ripped the pages out and handed them to her. "Look," he said as he leaned forward, "you don't even need tape to put these on the window; we can use gum, does anyone have gum? Or look, we don't even need that, a bit of spit will do the trick— "

"Hey that's cheating!" said the instructor. He dropped the clipboard and got a hold of the pages Kadaj was getting ready to lick.

"Oh, no, it is beyond that. And soon you will learn why; keep silence." Yazoo reached in and also grabbed a hold of the pages. "Sei, needs them since she is too forgetful to remember what to do."

"If she takes them, she will fail the test!"

"Yazoo, let Sei try—"

"Jake shut the hell up he's trying—"

"Don't fucking tell me—"

"People, let's all calm down—"

"I will not allow my students to—"

"Just give me the pages."

"She doesn't need them!"

"Yes she does!"

"I know her more than any of you morons—"

"Don't call us morons—"

Sei was the only one out of the debate; through the rear-view mirror, she saw Jake had chimed in to participate in the tug-war for the instruction pages; now everybody was yelling in Sei's ear, the car was rocking back and forth, and to her annoyance, she couldn't even tell whose voice belonged to whom.

In her desperate attempt to reestablish peace in the car, she switched the gear shift to drive, grabbed on to the steering wheel hard, and stepped on the gas sending everyone stumbling backward and into the air as she sped up over another speed bump—"Whoa!"— immediately stepping on the brake after a few seconds thus jerking everyone forward again.

"What the hell, Sei?" demanded Jake, as he and Yazoo attempted to untangle.

"My head!" said Kadaj, rubbing his forehead and laughing at the same time.

Sei sighed and loosened her grip on the wheel as she smiled. Apparently her tactic had worked. Unfortunately, the whole commotion had sent the papers flying all over the car; by the time she noticed, everyone had gone back to arguing about whether or not she should take a look at the papers. Not bothering to wait for an agreement, Kadaj and Yazoo were throwing all the papers in the back seat towards the front seat while Jake and the instructor threw the ones on the front seat onto the back seat. With her temper about to snap, she turned around, filled her lungs with air and— "ENOUGH!"

Immediately, as if someone had pushed a pause button, everyone in the car stopped doing what they were doing and turned to look at her, shocked. She was frowning at all of them sternly, her eyes scanning each and every face in the car, before her expression relaxed to a more tired one. She took the pages one by one and began throwing them to the back seat saying "I don't need these. I can do this myself."

All the males in the car looked at each other as if barely noticing the rest were there too. "So sit back, put your seat belts on and relax, or get out of the car," Sei added. Everyone in the back seat did as told; the instructor grabbed the clipboard again and faced the front.

"Alright, let's do this."

The test began again. Everyone in the car was calm, and spoke softly once in a while. It was amazing how after so much chaos and after so many tries, Sei was able to turn the car smoothly, how she was able to respect street signs and slow down for speed bumps. It was simply magical; almost as if the males in the back seat had had an effect on the girl's psychological behavior and bodily language. Almost too soon, the test was over, and Sei was ready for the second part of the test. When they all got out of the car to wait for further instructions, Yazoo turned and as he walked away, he smiled.

Yes, reversed psychology was usually the best trick in the book.

* * *

Kadaj sighed exasperated. It was the 15th time he read the comic and he still didn't get what he was reading.

When the instructor had given orders to Sei and her friends to wait for the second instructor to arrive in about ten minutes, Kadaj had gone inside the building into the waiting room, snatched a news paper and searched for the comic section. As soon as he had found it, he stepped back outside near the front entrance where his brother and Jake hung out at a bench and sat next to Yazoo, opening the newspaper noisily and dramatically, looking over at the other remnant with a raised eyebrow.

It was obvious he was trying to imply the fact that Yazoo had been wrong about him not reading and wanted his brother to take back his words. But the plan wasn't going so smoothly; the first comic he had read was the first one he had stuck on and worse yet, Yazoo kept looking over at him as if speculating whether or not he was really reading. Kadaj was so determined to try and figure it out, he forgot about faking a smile that indicated he understood what he was reading every time Yazoo looked over. And no matter how many times he read it or what ways he rotated the paper, or how close his eyes got to it or how many times he cleared his throat or how many times he blinked his eyes, he just didn't get it.

There was the final square of the comic, the one containing the punch line, that caught Kadaj's attention; it was a crazy looking bird, with its eyes bulging and looking at the reader, batting its wings furiously thus spreading feathers all over the place and with a whole bunch of question marks everywhere.

He looked at Yazoo from the corner of his eye; Jake was sitting on the other side of Yazoo and both were looking up at the sky, heaven knew at what. Kadaj could tell his brother had already lost interest in him and the paper. Sei was somewhere in the building, apparently she had had to go use the toilet. Finally giving up, Kadaj sighed again and got closer to his brother.

"I still don't understand this comic for kids," he admitted, shoving the paper in front of his brother's face. "What's happening to the chicken?"

Yazoo's blank expression twisted into confusion and then annoyance as the happening rapidly dawned on him. For a second he stared at the chicken that looked out at him and huffed. "I am sure it is wondering the same about you." The silver haired brother replied looking downward as he flipped his cell phone open. "It has been 20 minutes…"

"Oh, Sei's here." Jake said standing up. "You're Late!"

"I am? Is he here yet?"

Kadaj slammed the paper beside him as he stood up and shook his head. "You're lucky, since the teacher's late too," mumbled Kadaj.

"And I apologize for that, honey." All four turned to face a slender young man with a patch over one eye. "Sorry, I went to Yoga Class and I had my head between my legs further than I ever thought possible. Oh, hi, I am Mr. Nik," He added as he bowed lightly, smiling.

Kadaj started laughing like a lunatic while the other three wondered about the absence of some of the dental pieces in Mr. Nik's mouth. Signaling to Yazoo and Sei, the guy asked, "Which one of you is Sei?"

Everyone looked confused until Yazoo finally asked, "What do you mean 'which one?'."

"Oh, darling, you are so handsome I almost mistook you for a girl." Yazoo emitted a sound that sounded much like a shocked gasp as Kadaj bent over and laughed even harder.

* * *

Mr. Nik already finished with the smiling and the shaking of hands with everyone, finally motioned for Jake to follow him until they were out of ear reach of the others. In the distance, Sei could see how both males discussed something, and they were both pointing at the clip board Mr. Nik was carrying. The fact that Kadaj began to choke on his own spit because he was laughing so hard made Sei snap back to her actual whereabouts and then noticed how Yazoo has looking disgustedly between his brother and himself.

Clearly agitated, Yazoo took a deep breath as he bit his thumbnail and said "I think I should cut my hair." He avoided looking down at his chest where some of his silver hair rested, and he avoided looking at Sei and the others as well, but his eyes were heavily set on Kadaj, who was still laughing like his life depended on it.

"Aw, no, don't do that." said Sei. "At least not because of something some weirdo said." She added, holding the ends of a few silver hairs. Her touch sent a warm, electrifying sensation down his spine; a new feeling to him.

Leaving the speculation of the phenomenon for later, he looked over at Jake and Nik. "Just out of curiosity, Sei," Yazoo began. He paused for a second, and Sei wondered if he was going to continue his question. A moment later, he turned back to her and set those cat-like green eyes on her. "What do you think happened to his mouth?" The silver haired remnant nodded slightly over to the pair in the distance.

Sei looked over just in time to see how Nik smiled at Jake with great respect and affection; Nik had a female tendency of waving his arms all over the place, sometimes putting one hand on his waist in a perfect Super Model imitation and blinking with flirty intentions.

_Was he hitting on Jake?_ "I don't know," she said instead. "But it reminds me of the aftermath of when cartoon characters get exploding grenades in their mouths." That earned a small smile from Yazoo.

"All right everyone!" Mr. Nik came over walking in a Super Model way and clapping his hands a few times, excitedly. "Let's do this! Mrs. Sei? Will you be taking your brothers car?"

Sei looked over at Jake who was walking into the driving school building. "Ah… yeah, I think. Let me go get the keys from—" Before she could continue, the instructor gave her the keys to Jake's car.

"Uh, excuse me, can my friends come with me to the test?"

"Oh, sure thing Missus!"

* * *

Sei led the way to where the vehicle was. When she unlocked both doors of the sports car and climbed onto the driver's seat, Kadaj turned to his brother and said "May I open the door for you, ma'am?" and then laughed at his own joke.

Yazoo gave Kadaj a penetrating look and calmly asked, "Kadaj, remember what happened when you were ten?"

"Did I confuse you for my sister?" Kadaj laughed at his joke again. Yazoo rolled his eyes, neared his younger brother's ear and whispered something that made Kadaj widen his eyes in shock and he stop laughing instantly.

"You wouldn't say that aloud!"

"Honestly, I find myself still debating whether I should or not." The silver haired one gave the other an evil sly smile.

"Are you trying to blackmail me?"

"Yes I am." Yazoo's smile grew a little bit as he asked, "Is it working?" Already knowing the answer, he pushed his brother as he opened the car door and he climbed into the back of Jake's car and settled himself behind the driver's seat.

Before Kadaj could follow after him, Mr. Nik also pushed Kadaj out of the way and immediately climbed onto the back next to Yazoo, put his seatbelt on and started scribbling stuff down.

"Aren't you coming on the front passenger seat?" Sei asked confused.

Nik looked up for a moment then turned back to his clipboard. "No, it's better if you forget I'm here. I'll get to score you on attitude as well."

With uncertainty, the younger remnant climbed in the front passenger's seat and closed the door. "Wait; hang on, what about Jake?"

"Oh," Nik said without looking up from his clipboard scribbles. "He said he had to go in the building to take care of some things, so he said he won't be coming with us."

Sei nodded confused, and started the car. She instructed for everyone to put their seatbelt on. They all sat there in silence waiting for further instructions from Nik. Without taking his eyes from the clipboard, Nik took out a mirror and a lip balm stick. He placed the mirror in front of his face, but it seemed it was force of habit since he wasn't looking at himself still even as he applied the lip balm. Watching him, Yazoo finally asked, "Did you know that lip balm is bad for you?"

Kadaj turned to look at his brother with confusion at the same time that Sei looked at Yazoo from the rear view mirror. Nik stopped applying lip balm and looked up at the remnant. "Why?"

"According to the news last night," started Yazoo, calm as always, "it makes your lips fall off."

Kadaj and Sei emitted a snorting sound, like if they were trying hard not to laugh out loud as Nik's expression turned from questioning to horrified. "_Huh_?"

"I suggest you stop wearing it; otherwise you will have no teeth _and_ no lips." At Yazoo's words, Nik threw the stick to the front of the vehicle using the same reaction of a person who feared spiders and found one on their hand; with no more willpower to suppress their laughter, Sei and Kadaj opened their mouths and laughed hard.

"Sheesh, look at that face!" announced Kadaj, turning back to look at Nik, who after Kadaj's comment, took on an offended expression.

"Why did you get offended?" asked Yazoo. "After all, he did not say 'look at that mouth'."

As if it were the last straw, Nik looked at Sei furiously. "What kind of friends do you have, miss?" he demanded.

Before she could reply, Yazoo stepped in again and said, "Oh, smart remarks already." He pointed at the patch the guy had over his eye. "Nice patch by the way; it should have covered your toothless mouth too."

After much laughter from the three friends and much offended expressions from Nik, they all settled down and Yazoo told Nik that it was simply payback for mistaking him for a female and he assured Nik that now they were both even now. Being a good sport, Nik started laughing with the rest and admitted it had been fair play. Then, he remembered Sei was supposed to be driving, so he told her to back up and begin driving. Destination; to the other side of town and back… safely, of course.

* * *

She backed up slowly, looking back and at all her mirrors, making sure there was nobody in sight to accidentally run over. As soon as the car was in the streets, all four people in the vehicle were wrapped up in a tale being told by Nik; from his story, both remnants and the driving girl learned that the instructor had actually decided to become homosexual a few years ago.

By the way he talked about another guy named Yukiru, Nik had been deeply involved with him, for Nik described Yukiru as a godly figure; a figure with the most beautiful "Herculean muscles", "towering figure" with "deep and enchanting honey colored eyes", "moon sliver smile" and "golden halo of a hair". The way he described Yukiru made it seem like he was unusually handsome, and anyone who set their eyes on him would instantly become drawn to him and fall in love with him, women and men alike; it didn't matter if their sexual orientation were straight or not.

But despite his physical godly appearance, he was still a human, for Nik admitted he was disappointed in him; the reason was, Yukiru was violent and dangerously aggressive when he drank alcohol, and he drank heavily and very often. As a result of his inability to control his aggression, Yukiru had taken it out on Nik's family and on Nik himself, running away shortly after doing psychological damage on all of Nik's family and breaking the relationship with the instructor via mail. And Yukiru never apologized. The instructor embarrassingly admitted that he was still waiting for him to call and say something, anything that might allow Nik to follow his path in this life in peace.

When the story was over, the other three were silent. They didn't know what to say, what_ could_ they say? Kadaj turned around in his seat and looked back at the driving instructor. "Is the missing of your teeth Yukiru's doing?"

Nik looked up. "What, this?" he pointed to his mouth then shook his head. "No, I went to the dentist and the bastard messed with my smile."

"So, if he calls what are you going to tell him?" asked Kadaj.

"That he doesn't want anything to do with him anymore," suggested Sei.

"No, I would ask where has he been and why did it take him so long," said the instructor.

"He isn't going to call, you know," said Yazoo after a moment of silence. Everyone peeked back at him as he continued, "People like that do not release their anger, take off and then call back to apologize. But even if he did call, you should not forgive him. Forgiveness is something that has to be earned." He crossed his arms, conveniently forgetting the chaos he and his brothers had provoked in the city, and that despite what he was saying, he and his brothers had been granted forgiveness from Sei and Jake without much effort. But those facts were far beyond the real point here; he was being realistic based on Nik's story.

Nik didn't know what was going through Yazoo's mind, thus he immediately regarded the remnant's words as pearls of wisdom.

* * *

"Well, whaddaya know, we are back in school." Informed Sei. The three passengers looked out their respective windows; how had time gone by so fast? The test had finished.

"Alright, cool and guess what? You passed this infernal test!" Nik clapped excitedly as Sei and Kadaj got out of the car. When they were all out and congratulating Sei, Nik grabbed her arm and said, "All you have to do now is go in there with me so they can take your picture and hand you your license."

"We took the pictures as soon as we got here, right before the first test."

Nik looked taken aback at this; then just as Sei was about to explain, something dawned in the guys mind and then he nodded, smiling. "Alright then, follow me."

All four went into the building and then upstairs heading for the license picture department and they were all about to go into the room, Nik stiffened his body as he murmured "Oh, no."

The other three turned to see what he was looking at; there was only one person in the hallway with them and it was lady carrying a child about four or five years old in her arms.

"What's wrong? Who is she?"

Nik's eyes got wary as he answered, "I baby sit for the kid, but he's a demon. He has inspired me to hate kids."

"What's so bad about kids?" Sei wanted to know.

"The kid. Is a _demon_."

"Why don't you tell her about it?" asked Kadaj.

"You can't keep letting people step on you all the time, you know." Sei nudged Nik.

"Oh, I couldn't." Nik's disgusted face was forced into a welcoming grin as the lady practically dumped the kid over to him, and without even asking about the weather or greeting him, she began giving him instructions about what the kid needed to do that day. Nik decided for once to start following someone else's advice for a change. "Miss," interrupted the instructor. "I'm sorry, but today I have plans; I can't take care of the child."

The lady looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well then cancel them, because I can't cancel _my_ plans."

Nik's smile got awkward as he suggested, "Then find another baby sitter."

"You know, it's hard to find someone so confident and yet is missing several teeth." The lady laughed scornfully.

Nik's smile vanished and his expression turned angry. "That's it! I'm officially quitting the presidential post in Bratland!"

The lady stopped laughing and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, GO TO HELL!"—The lady was certainly surprised by this reaction—"AND TAKE HIM WITH YOU!" After brusquely handing the child back to his mother, Nik turned, smiled at Sei and her friends, and stormed down the stairs and out of the building.

The lady held the crying child in her arms, unable to say a word. After looking around as if wishing no one had seen that, she took careful steps towards the stairs, her arms shaking either with anger and shock or with the purpose of calming the kid.

The three friends looked at one another. "Wow, she seems speech less." Said Kadaj.

"I hope somebody pushes her down the stairs," said Yazoo. All three of them laughed quietly.

"Who's gonna get pushed down the stairs, or what?" all three of them turned to see Jake standing right there, near them, as if he had been there all along.

"Oh, where were you?" said Sei dropping the subject. "You missed it! I got my license!"

"Yeah, I know."

"How?"

"I got it right here, sis." He reached into his pocket and took out an envelope. Sei took it, opened it and in it was a letter of Congratulations and…

"My license!" without being able to hold herself back, she flung her arms around her brother and hugged him tightly.

Jake was taken aback, but he quickly recovered from the shock and embraced his sister warmly. The remnants saw that for once in all the four months that they had known Jake, he had never let his guard down like this. He smiled down at Sei, and for a split second, he looked younger, relaxed and much friendlier; he was literally glowing with pride. Finally, both siblings remembered that the remnants were there too, and let go of each other, clearing their throats slightly.

"Yeah, uh, I hope Loz doesn't have a heart attack." Jake said, looking over at Yazoo and Kadaj.

"Oh, oh! Let me call him and tell him we're on our way!" Sei took out her cell phone and dialed.

* * *

OH, WOW! HI THERE MY DEAR READERS! I AM SO SORRY TO HAVE TAKEN SO LONG TO UPDATE THE STORY, BUT I HAVE BEEN AWFULLY BUSY! DO NOT THINK THAT I HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS, NOOO! I WOULD NEVER!

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS WERE THE ONLY DAYS I WAS ACTUALLY ABLE TO WORK ON THIS… BELIEVE ME, I MISSED PLAYING AROUND WITH THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR LIVES… AND I ALSO MISSED HAVING YOU ALL READ THIS AND BE ENTERTAINED, AT LEAST FOR A FEW MINUTES, PENDING YOU DEVOUR THE WHOLE CHAPTER!

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED AND THAT THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT! PLEASE REVIEW, THANK YOU!

**~DA36~**


	15. The Gift

"Hey, Kadaj, hand me that box with the butterfly designs."

The mentioned remnant pointed to the box beside him. "This one?" Yazoo nodded. Just as the youngest one of the three was about to walk over to his brother, Loz kicked the front door open and came in carrying several boxes stacked on top of another, practically hiding his form behind their structure. It literally looked like a stack of boxes with legs, until his voice reassured them it was Loz carrying them.

"I need a bit of help here… can't see…"

Sei rushed forward towards Kadaj and took the box away from him, freeing his hands so he could help his oldest brother. As she handed Yazoo the box he had asked for, she focused on the other two. "Where did you get all those boxes from?" She asked watching how Kadaj took his brother's arm and led him to stand by a couch before starting to unload Loz's arms.

"I got some from down town; the rest were outside in the garage."

"Outside?" Now Yazoo seemed interested as well. "Why bring them in?"

"They had Jake's name on them."

Sei and Yazoo looked at each other before heading over to help Kadaj unload Loz's arms. Finally, with all the boxes scattered around on the couch, Sei busied herself looking at the name tags and the contents of the boxes. Then she started laughing. "These are gifts to him, from his friends," she explained.

The remnants, who no doubt were expecting something of a threat hidden away in those boxes, managed to relax. They had to start changing their ways if they were going to be living normally from then on; they couldn't think that there was a threat around every corner. Yazoo turned and walked away, busing himself with what he had been doing prior to the interruption.

"Wait, all of them are gifts?" asked Loz. Sei nodded.

"Any of them for me?" Kadaj's tone was hopeful as he stood aside, quietly nibbling on his finger nail as he eyed the boxes tentatively. Sei almost went up to him and pinched his cheeks because of the adorable face he made, but limited herself to smile and shake her head.

"Sorry, Kadaj; all of them are for Jake."

His eyes narrowed with obvious jealousy as he muttered, "Isn't that bastard lucky."

Sei couldn't help but laugh. "It's only logical," she said with a grin, "since it _is_ Jake's birthday."

"Wait." Everyone turned around to face Yazoo, who had one foot on the floor and the other was resting on the second step of a bank ladder. "I thought… it was… Crissmaseve…" He was trying to undo a knot on a green and red garland, without having much success.

"Yeah," chimed in Loz, taking a glass ornament by a hook. "I thought Crissmaseve was the real reason we were decorating the house and the tree? And the reason why we were giving him gifts?"

The girl chuckled again, but tried to quiet herself when the remnants looked at her confused; they didn't know what was so funny, and they honestly wanted in on the joke. "Well, you see, it _is_ Christmas Eve," she began to explain, correcting their grammar on the way, "and later will also be Jake's birthday. It lands on the same day."

"So the whole world will be celebrating his birthday too?" Loz dangled the little ornament playfully, as Kadaj questioned Sei with big incredulous eyes. "That's _got_ to be awesome."

"No, Jake's birthday is something only he and his closest friends and family celebrate; Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is a holiday that everyone celebrates. They just happened to land on the same day, because Jake was born on the Christmas Eve day."

The men thought about this for a moment. "How come Jake has so many gifts then?" Kadaj was once again eyeing the boxes. "I mean it just _happened_ to land on the same day. What's the big deal?"

"Well, the extra gifts are because of his birthday."

"Just _because_ it's his birthday? Really?"

"Yeah. It's the only time of the year when people are usually gifted with special treatment. Other than holidays, of course."

"Why do people celebrate birthdays?" This time it was Yazoo who asked. He was still struggling with the garland, but he was listening closely to the conversation.

"Well…" Sei thought about it for a moment. "To celebrate that you made another trip around the sun; to celebrate that you lived another year. Of course, you also celebrate the day the person was born because you're glad they were born in the first place."

There was a cracking sound that startled Sei. Loz had set the delicate frosty-red sphere on his hand, and, like it had happened several times before already, grasped it too tightly and shattered it. Now he opened his hand to reveal the small shards digging into his skin. Sei rushed to him, grabbed his hand and studied it, making sure there was not a wound.

The skin was intact, unlike his self-esteem. As she looked up to him and gave him a reassuring smile, he looked down at his hand containing the shattered pieces of red that shined like frozen pieces of blood, with a somber expression. She glanced at Kadaj and Yazoo for support, only to notice that they were pretty much in the same predicament; Kadaj was still looking at the boxes, and Yazoo still had his attention focused on the garland, but the younger one's expression was also somber and his eyes reflected not only jealousy, but hatred as well, whilst the long haired one seemed too focused on the ornamentary snake to notice that he was gripping it so tightly, his knuckles had turned white and his jaw was set.

Heavy silence lingered in the living room; no one moved a muscle. Sei felt something wet touching her hands; as she looked down, she realized that Loz had formed a tight fist, and the shards had dug into his skin, bleeding him a bit. "Oh, dear." Everyone snapped out of their trance and looked over; Sei led the remnant to the couch and made him sit, assuring that she'd bring the first aid kit before rushing towards the kitchen.

* * *

Kadaj tucked his hair behind his ear; the black had grown out by now, and he had cut it off, liking his own hair color better than the artificial. It was a bit past his shoulders, but he fancied shorter hair, unlike his brother Yazoo, who had let his grow even longer, past his waist to his hips. Loz on the other hand, had his unchanged. "You really are stupid," the youngest said, looking at his oldest brother's hand. Loz limited himself to whimper; it wasn't unusual that he was referred to as such, but lately the name calling seemed to hurt more now than before.

"Just too strong for his own good," Yazoo muttered.

"That's the sixth ornament you break for the tree of Crissmaseve," pressed Kadaj.

"It's Christmas. Eve."

"Like I give. A damn."

"I know you better."

"It doesn't hurt, alright Yazoo?" Kadaj was beginning to get moody again.

"Keep that temper of yours in check; remember the deal we had with Jake." The deal went that if Jake could have a whole month of peace resulting in Kadaj controlling his temper and his childish behavior, Kadaj would get to open a present on Christmas Eve; a privilege no one else was given. Which of course, had led everyone to believe a useless deal, but actually had effect; lately, Kadaj's behavior had been so calm, he would most definitely qualify as the next religious Saint, which in itself resulted a scary thought.

"To hell with the deal. I don't care. _He_ can keep _my_ gifts for all _I_ care."

"Can I keep them?" asked Loz. His voice was hopeful as he looked up at Kadaj. His youngest brother glanced at him annoyed. "I mean… Jake already has too many gifts."

"Fine. But only because I feel sorry for you."

Loz lowered his head again, a bright, embarrassed blush on his cheeks. Yazoo's quiet voice drifted across the room. "Way to cross the line. Twice."

"Same goes for you. After all, I'm most definitely _not_ glad you were born, annoying uptight prick."

Yazoo chuckled. "I know." Kadaj and Loz looked up to the middle remnant with curiosity. The long haired one was still smiling as he continued. "You never did give me a gift on my birthday." Now his green eyes slid over to his youngest brother, defiantly smug. He knew his words had hit a sore spot, because Kadaj's pupil was stretched vertically and they flashed with hurt and hatred. He stood up, and for a moment, Yazoo really thought that he would go over and start something, but then the glare on his youngest brother eased up.

"Then you need no more proof of my words, now do you." They stared at each other for a mere second before Kadaj broke eye contact, whirled around on his heels and stalked off to his room.

Loz looked after him and then turned to see Yazoo. He wasn't paying attention anymore; he was back to trying to undo the knot on the garland. "Why do you always have to bother him?"

Yazoo shrugged. "He makes it fun." Then, without turning around, he added, "Watch the hand."

Loz looked down and cradled his wounded limb before any of his blood dripped onto the carpet.

* * *

"At what time was your brother coming home?"

"Hmm…" Sei thought about it. "Well, he called; he said he would be home in about three more hours, around there." She nodded, as did Yazoo. It was well past noon; Sei was in the living room with Yazoo wrapping gifts, whilst Loz was in the kitchen looking for something to cook up and Kadaj hadn't come out of his room for a good time now. "Loz won't have trouble cooking with a bandaged hand?"

Yazoo's smile was short, almost bitter at her comment, but he kept his attention fixed on his work. "He will be fine."

The girl began to tape the colorful paper around the box; as she did so, she couldn't help remember what had happened several hours prior.

She had found the first-aid kit almost instantly, and she had been on her way back into the living room when she heard Kadaj and Yazoo arguing. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but she couldn't bring herself to interrupt them either. She had listened to every word those two had said to each other, with a dreadful feeling clawing at her heart, but she had still stepped back into the room with a bright smile, pretending she wasn't bothered by the words; pretending she hadn't heard them; pretending she didn't know what was going on; pretending she bought their lie when they shrugged in response to her question regarding Kadaj's whereabouts.

Of course, maybe it was none of her business what went on between them, but the fact that those words had hidden meaning behind them, especially made to attack and damage the listener to whom they were directed to, made her feel uneasy. Something was up; something she and Jake hadn't caught up to.

A knock at the door startled her visibly; Yazoo glanced at her, his eyes reflecting laughter, even though the rest of his face remained pretty much straight. He rose from his spot and went to open the door, rushing as the bell was rung several times in a row; when he finally opened the door, a bag was thrown into the house towards him, like a wrecking ball, forcing him to extend his arms and catch it, backing up a bit.

Sei cocked her head at the strange happening, half expecting Jake to have returned already or one of her friends to have arrived to help, but who entered the house was actually the last person she expected to see to begin with. Cloud Strife walked into the house like he owned the place, leaving the door wide open in his wake and then headed over towards her, as if Yazoo and the bag were completely inexistent to him.

"Jake back yet?" _Of course he isn't_, she thought; _he's been gone for a week and he's left me alone with the remnants to watch over the house. But surely you wouldn't know because Jake was very specific in his instructions to not let you or any of the Avalanche team know about it._ She smiled bitterly as she imagined Cloud's reaction if she were to actually say that. "Hey there, yourself," she replied instead.

Cloud grinned at her and shook his head. "Sorry." He went over to her, bent and kissed her head before ruffling her hair a bit. She yelped and swatted his hand away, laughing. "What's up?" she asked.

"Well, I brought the Santa bag," he pointed at Yazoo, who was holding said Santa bag by the still open door. He seemed a bit confused as to what Cloud was doing there, the purpose of the bag and the name of the bag itself. "It has gifts for everyone and such."

The girl cocked her head again and then looked at the bag, blinking, before her expression showed understanding and then she looked up at Cloud again, a genuine smile on her face. "Don't get your hopes up," continued the blond, "part of that delivery wasn't brought by good will, rather with business intentions." Sei's smile vanished and she rolled her eyes. Leave it Cloud to admit that there were gifts inside the bag for the remnants, but that they had been delivered merely because it was his job.

"Close the door, will you?" Cloud spoke to the long haired man by the door when Sei shivered a bit. "You're letting all the cold in." Yazoo stood there for a moment while, negatively glaring at Cloud before closing the door quietly, setting the bag aside and then heading for the kitchen without a word. The girl couldn't help but feel sorrow for him; more than once in one day had the remnant been reminded how unlikeable he was to most other people. She was about to comment on it to Cloud when she changed her mind; he wasn't like Jake, he wouldn't say anything to make her feel better, he would just reassure her how much he hated all three of them, not just Yazoo.

"Wrapping Jake's gift?"

Sei smiled and shook her head, returning to her work quickly. "Actually, this one's yours."

"Oh?" Cloud sat beside her and watched her working on the paper folding. "What is it?"

She laughed. "I can't tell you, silly! It's a surprise."

"Then it must be pretty good."

She shrugged. "Eh, it's probably something completely useless to you, but I think it's the thought that counts." She eyed him playfully and smiled brightly. He simply stared at her as he thought her response.

There was a moments silence when she turned around in her seat, looking for something. Once she found it, she grabbed the bow carefully and then peeled the paper on the back, to reveal an adhesive side, which she stuck to a corner of the colorfully wrapped box. Then she took a pen and opened the little folded paper attached to the bow she had just glued to the box and wrote in delicate, legible print her message. She looked it over once she was done and, satisfied with the outcome, she extended her arm towards Cloud and handed him his gift. "No opening until Tomorrow."

Cloud made a face and then nodded in response. "Oh, that reminds me. Wait here." Sei stood up quickly and ran to the game room; she came back holding a bag much like the one Cloud had brought, but considerably bigger. "What's this?"

"Gifts for you and the others," replied the girl with a smile. "Oh and," she added, "If you don't deliver those on good will, I'm going to have to pay you." Cloud opened the bag and peeked inside; she almost laughed at his expression, since it clearly said he didn't want to deliver those either.

* * *

As soon as Jake opened the door to his house, he was received with a big hug from his sister and a loud wish for the best birthday ever. Chuckling, he embraced her, picked her up and spun her around a few times before catching a glimpse of Cloud, which prompted him to set Sei down with a kiss to her forehead. He grabbed his duffel bag and stepped into the living room, a smile on his face as he looked at his long time friend, Cloud Strife, standing in acknowledgement of Jake's arrival.

Jake spread his arms, bent his knees slightly and smiled perversely. "Am I getting a hug from you too?" Cloud smiled gently at him, much like an adult smiles to a child when they've said something foolish; this earned a laugh from Sei, who still clung to her brother with both her arms. She'd missed him dearly. Her face was still buried onto his brother's chest when Yazoo and Loz stepped out of the kitchen and greeted him as well. Even Kadaj stepped out of his room and graced Jake with his appearance.

"Loz…" Jake's voice sounded strange almost awed. "Did you make this?"

Sei let go of her brother to turn around and see what he was referring to; the oldest silver haired man had stepped into the living room carrying a big cake covered in white frosting and decorated with red and green, in connection to the holiday, yet the carefully written words _Happy Birthday Jake_ took most of its surface and gave the alternative, and real reason for the cake's existence.

Kadaj was once again eyeing things with jealousy, only this time, his focus point was the cake his older brother held as he nodded in response to Jake's question.

"Something wrong, kid?" Kadaj's eyes snapped from the cake over to its rightful owner and shook his head. Shrugging it off, Jake neared Loz and poked the cake with his finger; the remnant's reaction of taking the cake away from him in an almost lecturing manner made Sei's brother laugh in surprise before he licked his finger. "Oh, geez, that's fucking good. Can't wait to eat it all."

"Now, now, brother, remember that talk that we had about sharing," laughed Sei.

Jake snorted. "Screw sharing; this cake is aaaalll mine!" It was only a joke that earned laugher and smiles from everyone except Kadaj, who simply whirled on his heels again and disappeared into the garage. The birthday man frowned questionably at this. "What's going on?"

Sei and her brother made eye contact momentarily, but it was enough for them to communicate a message: something was wrong, and Jake had to find out exactly what it was. Setting his duffel bag down by the door and assuring everyone that he would be back in a bit to talk about the holiday, he made his way carefully to the garage, his body tensing in anticipation of whatever might be going on in there.

* * *

There was silence in the living room for a long time as the four left in there surveyed the situation. Loz and Yazoo got along just fine with Sei, and if it weren't for Cloud, they would be talking non-stop about the party they had planned for her brother. Under normal conditions, Cloud's presence wouldn't have bothered the remnants at all, but they didn't know if Cloud should be let in on the event or not, and Sei wasn't speaking either, meaning that either he wasn't supposed to know what was going on, or she herself didn't know what was the best way to continue the evening.

Sei, on the other hand, just really didn't know what to do. She liked being with Cloud and the silver haired men, but having them together in the same room was like putting a dog and a cat in one room, unattended. There was no way of knowing if they would be friendly with each other or not, but one just couldn't ignore the dog baring its teeth or the cat puffing up in aggression.

Loz finally shifted position and handed Yazoo the cake, who took it almost forcefully before he walked back into the kitchen followed by the eldest of the remnants. They were gone for only a few moments, before they returned without the cake, but with boxes of juice. Loz threw one in Cloud's direction, whilst Yazoo gave one to Sei; they both took it tensely, thinking it an odd way to change the subject.

"Uhm, by the way, Sei?" Loz's voice was almost too loud in the quiet room. Everyone looked at him. "How do we drink this?"

"Oh, just poke the straw in it." She said.

"Straw? Poke it where?"

She smiled and got her own juice box and demonstrated for them. Soon all three were happily drinking their beverages.

"You decorated that cake?" Cloud's question came off as a surprise, especially because it sounded genuinely curious and with no hint of his usual annoyance, irritation and hatred he seemed to reserve especially for them.

Yazoo, however, eyed him coldly. "What, does our life interest you?"

Cloud's expression showed confusion at first and then his eyes went back to being icy pools of blue. "Not in the very least."

"Then don't ask." Yazoo's grin was small, but most definitely arrogant as he squeezed the carton box in his fist, persuading the juice out of the container and into his mouth.

"He's been out of it lately," said Loz, trying to explain Yazoo's behavior, trying to smooth things over again, trying to get Cloud to get rid of the expression he was wearing now, trying to make brother understand that it was okay to be interested…

But then Yazoo spoke again, his words obviously meant to cut through someone; "You have no reason to give him explanations on anything, Loz. He is not interested."

"Yazoo, please, don't challenge him; not our brother, not this one…" Whatever progress Loz had made was instantly erased and then everyone could feel Cloud's threatening aura enveloping them.

Sei sighed. _I hope Jake comes back soon…_

* * *

Kadaj stormed into the garage, looking about him wildly for something to vent on, something to get his hands on, and just… _destroy_. He'd lied to his brother; he _did_ care about the gifts and everything, goddamn it, what right did Jake have to have so many presents on his birthday when he and his own kind hadn't had any at all? For as long as he could remember, no one had never gifted them with anything except orders and more orders.

For as long as he could remember, he never received a colorfully wrapped box with something fun inside it. Not even something cheesy, like a sweater with heart patterns, or like some damn footsie pajamas. Whatever, it didn't matter, right?

"Your current expression really gives me the creeps, man."

Kadaj whirled around maniacly, his eyes searching around wildly for the source of the bastard that dared follow him to this place—only to land on Jake.

_Jake_. The one the whole damn city loved, the one all three brothers of his loved more than they loved him. The one to blame for his whole misery. _It wasn't fair…"_You." He had been so absorbed into his own fuming and determination to convince himself that he didn't care that he hadn't realized Sei's brother's presence until he spoke. Which was really uncomfortable and just plain threatening, because he felt as if he'd had been watched from the shadows, even though, technically speaking, Jake was out in the open for immediate recognition.

"What's up?" he was saying, taking a few steps closer to him. Kadaj backed away so suddenly, Jake stopped in his tracks and his kind, caring expression changed to one that showed concern and confusion.

_Don't look at me like that_, thought Kadaj. _Don't_… "It's nothing."

The lie rolled out of his mouth as easily as ever. Jake didn't need to know what was bugging him; this was something he had to deal with on his own. He'd seen this scenario on TV a lot of times; the person asks someone else what they're feeling, the one being interrogated shakes their head and denies their feelings and they get left alone. Except Jake didn't move. In fact, he didn't seem to believe a word he'd said. _Just leave me alone, damn it_…

He didn't need Jake's pity. He shook his head. He needed to get rid of those thoughts. Jake was a good person, wasn't he? _Yes_, he was. A really good person_… Enough of a good person to receive so many gifts on Christmas Eve_… His eyes narrowed but his pupils stretched again_. That_ _bastard_. _That stupid, irritable, despicable, inferior, offensive_—

"Kadaj."

"_What_." His response came out harsh and tense.

"I can see your face."

"I can see yours too. Your point?"

"Don't tell me it's nothing. I know better."

"So you do. Do you want a congratulatory gift for that?" Oh, the irony! How he hated the fact that Jake was getting so many gifts and yet here he was offering to give him even more. This man's presence just resulted really infuriating and confusing, that was all.

"Not really," he was saying, "I'm just really worried that you seem to be in a really bad mood."

"The man has eyes," Kadaj sneered. He turned his back on Sei's brother, hoping to give him a stronger hint that he wanted to be alone. Still, Jake didn't budge.

"I can see your face twisted with complete opposition of what you're telling me."

Kadaj didn't say anything. It had always been easy for him to lie, but damn it, why did he have to be such a bad liar? Even though he honestly didn't like Yazoo at this very instant—was very much angry with him, actually—he wished he had gotten his ability to mask his emotions so effectively. Yazoo could tell a lie as easily as he could, but _he_ had what it took to keep a perfect unreadable face.

"Don't worry, Jake." Kadaj's plea was evident in his words now. "Just go back with your sister. I'll be fine."

Jake's hesitation was made obvious by the awkward silence that followed. But then he spoke again. "It's impossible not to worry, Kadaj. I'm not your usual type of guy that will just leave things be when they're not alright. I've grown a habit that it's okay to worry. So I worry. About what's going on with you."

_A bad habit_. The remnant was fondling a rag; he folded it several times carefully, into a shape even he wasn't sure of. "It's so nice," he muttered. "You and Sei really seem to share a strong bond. You always get along." Which was a lot more than he could say about his own relationship with his own brothers.

Jake took a few steps back and leaned against a wall. "Did you and your brothers have a fight?"

Kadaj looked down at the rag and studied it. It looked like a twisted square with too many sides. He counted them in his mind… _1_… "I know that people are born alone and die alone. But in between…I just really wish I could be with someone who will want to be with me." …_3_…

"I'm sure that deep down, Yazoo and Loz—"

"They don't. We're with each other because we're all we have, but that's it." …_5_…

"How can you be so sure?"

"Loz and Yazoo have a strong bond. You see that, from a distance. Loz is too weird for me to get along with; he thinks I'm just a child and yet he acts like one all the time. Even though he's older. And Yazoo… Yazoo's older than me too. And he's also weird, mentally speaking, he's… you know, a freaky buzz kill." …_6_…

Jake smiled. Yeah, it was true that Yazoo was a bit too calm for his own good, but he had to guess that he had his own way of showing humor.

"People have friends and get along. When I see stuff like that, I feel alone."_…7_. Well, that was strange. A seven-sided square? What was this weird shape called?

"But you're not. I mean, you have people that care for you. I for one can admit I care."_Heptagon_.

_Now or never_. Kadaj turned around slowly, looked at Jake straight in the eye and without hesitation… "Then give me some of your gifts."

The smile Jake had had playing on his face vanished and he blinked at the remnant. "…What?"

"You have too many gifts, Jake, give me some of them."

Jake blinked again in shock. Is this what it was all about? He frowned and then shook his head lightly as he stuttered. "I… I can't."

"WHY NOT!" Kadaj's change in attitude had Jake beginning to wonder just how safe it was to be around this kid when he was on the verge of a violent break down. "What gives you the right to keep them all!"

"They're all for me," Jake replied, "I can't give them away."

"That doesn't answer my question!" Kadaj threw the rag at Jake. _It wasn't fair_…"I want to know why! Are you greedy? Do you think I don't deserve them?" _It isn't fair!_ "Which is it?"

Jake swallowed and then replied calmly. "None. It's Respect."

Kadaj stopped his enraged spree and looked at the other man completely stunned. _"…What?"_

"Respect dictates that once someone gives you something, you shouldn't gift it to someone else."

"Respect says you _shouldn't_; doesn't mean you _can't_."

"I have deep respect for the people that gave me those gifts; for that reason I can't give them away."

"No one would find out." Kadaj's eyes glimmered with an insanity Jake was growing weary of. If he let the remnant's imagination keep running off like that, there was a lot of chaos sure to happen. Jake sighed.

"But what if they did?" Jake almost bit his tongue when Kadaj blinked with confusion. "Think about it, if you gave me something, and I'm not saying you will, but if you gave me something you thought was really awesome and something I would totally love or find humor in… and then you find out I gave it away to someone because I didn't like it or I thought it was useless… wouldn't it make you feel angry?" The man was looking at the remnant carefully now, assessing the expressions the young one reflected. "I mean to put a lot of effort into a gift only to find out you should've just saved your time and money? It's disrespectful. That's why I can't give you the gifts. I might not need them, but it's the thought that counts." The fact that Kadaj looked about to burst into tears almost broke his heart, but then he added something that he knew would put Kadaj in a good mood again. "And plus, you have gifts too. Better some than nothing, right?"

To his surprise, his plan didn't work; in fact, the silver haired young man looked worse. And then he said, "I don't have any gifts."

"That's not right," Jake said automatically, shaking his head. "I know Cloud brought some for you and Sei and I bought some for you too."

"I don't have any, don't you get it?" the remnant snapped. And then seeing the expression on Sei's brother, he decided to explain further. "I gave them to Loz and Yazoo."

The older one jerked his head back in confusion. "You _What_?"

"I was angry!" as if that made it alright. "What did you want me to do!"

"I don't know, but certainly not give them away!"

"Okay fine, I didn't know. I can always just ask for them back."

Jake shook his head again. "I don't think it's that simple."

"Why the hell not! Those are mine! They have _my_ name on them!"

"Will they understand?"

"The hell am I supposed to know! I just know that those boxes are _mine_, and they _will_ stay that way!" Kadaj began to head over to the living room, but his eyes sparking with fury and determination made Jake reach out for him and stop him.

"Wait… Uhm, Kadaj? Wait a second, I—"

"Let go of me, of you'll be sorry." The green eyes that looked at him looked dangerous enough to go with the threat, so Jake eased up on the grip.

"Okay then, you see—"

"AWAY!"

"Kadaj, our deal still stands," said Jake letting go of him, but still standing in his way so his words hit the young one directly. The remnant studied him as if he were lying.

"You can't be—"

"I mean it." Sei's brother spoke calmly and slowly, so there would be no misunderstanding. "You have to be as proper and as civilized as you've been all month or you won't get to open the gift like I said you could."

"Fine." Kadaj took a deep breath and as calmly as he could, head out into the living room, where he saw Loz and Yazoo sipping juice along with Sei. Cloud was still around, strangely enough, but that didn't really matter for now. He went to stand right in front of his brothers, looked up at them and in the calmest voice he found, said, "I want my gifts back."

* * *

Everyone stood in silence as Yazoo and Loz stopped sipping their juice and looked down at their younger brother. Sei blinked and then turned to look at Jake, confused. Yazoo removed the straw from his mouth and swallowed shortly. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I want my gifts back. From both of you."

Yazoo looked from Kadaj, to Jake, to Loz, to Sei, to Cloud and then back at Loz and then finally Kadaj again. "You mean to tell me," he began carefully, "that when you said you did not want those gifts, you were serious?"

"No! No, I wasn't! I mean, sort of. But now I take it back! Those gifts are mine! Jake, tell them why!" Now everyone turned to look at Jake, Cloud included. He seemed really interested and even amused by the whole situation; picture so, a remnant arguing with the others over a gift. Now that was something one didn't see every day. Jake sighed and a bit embarrassed, began to explain the whole situation around gifts and respect. "It's disrespectful to gift something that's been gifted to you out of the goodness of their heart because it's as if you were saying that you don't care," he finished.

Yazoo and Loz looked at each other and then at Kadaj. "But, he does not c—mff" Kadaj was putting a hand over Yazoo's mouth to silence him. It was true that he could lie easily, but he could also be brutally honest whenever he wished.

"I want those gifts back."

"But, wait," continued Jake, eyeing the wary, sad look in Loz's face, "if there was any feeling of sincere affection and deep thought into your action when you gave those gifts away, Kadaj, then they should just keep them…"

He trailed off as Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz were shaking their heads in unison. "There was none of that," was saying Kadaj.

"Nope. None," added Loz.

"At all." Chimed in Yazoo.

Everyone sighed. Leave it to them to be so completely blunt. Jake smiled and shrugged. "I thought you would cry if Kadaj took 'em back, Loz"

Loz blushed in embarrassment and shame but shook his head. "It's okay. If you say it's out of respect, I'm okay with it. I feel weird accepting them after what I was just told anyway…"

"What do you think, Yazoo?"

The mentioned remnant addressed the youngest remnant instead of Jake; "If this will keep you from spazzing all over again, be my guest."

"Spazzing? Why, I oughta!"

* * *

Everyone held their breath as Kadaj paced around the Christmas tree, eyeing every box underneath and around it. Cloud tried hard not to glare at the remnant, but no matter how much he wished to pretend, his disgust didn't vanish from his face, especially when he picked up a small colorful box he recognized was from Tifa. Jake sat beside him, arm on his shoulder, a weight he found necessary so he wouldn't bolt up and snatch the box right out of Kadaj's hands. _It's for Jake_, he reminded himself, _Jake's birthday. Just this once_.

He had been about to take off when Jake somehow, by some sheer freak accident of nature, convinced him to stay a little longer. So there he was, spending quality time with everyone under the condition that he wasn't allowed to leave the house until Kadaj had opened his gift, and had taken whatever item was in the box, out for everyone to see. Which was why Jake and Sei had been stalling the moment, right up until Kadaj had almost exploded with emotion and desperation.

So yeah, Cloud wanted to snatch the box away from him, but was really looking forward to when he finally opened it so he could just get out of there.

Kadaj went to sit on Jake's other side, across from Yazoo, Loz, Anna and Mimi. Sei was sitting on Cloud's other side, between him and the remnants, and she, just like everyone else, was waiting for the youngest remnant to open his gift. Kadaj set the box on his lap and looked it over; found a card, read it was from Tifa and then set his hands on the box, a huge smile on his face. He took a deep breath… then—

"You are awfully happy about this for someone who does not care." Yazoo's voice startled everyone; they all turned to look at him confused, only to see he was looking intently at his brother with laughing eyes. Kadaj stared at him, also confused for a moment.

"Shut up." He was about to start ripping the paper, when Yazoo spoke again.

"No, I mean it. You have a stupid grin on your face."

Kadaj sighed. "I mean it too; don't make me go over and shut you up myself."

"I would love to see you try."

Kadaj was up in a flash, gift under one arm as he began to stalk over to his brother. "Alright, you—"

"Hey guys, chill for a sec." Jake was on his feet, his arms around Kadaj, pulling him back preventing him from getting any closer to Yazoo, who hadn't even moved from his place on the couch and still had that laughing look about him. Everyone started talking at once as the birthday man tried to restrain Kadaj, earning a laugh from Sei. Jake, finding that it was useless to hug Kadaj in order to keep him from moving, got in front of him and pushed him back as he said, "Dude, calm down I said."

Kadaj still wanted to go forward, his eyes fixed on Yazoo, but with Jake's body in the way, he backed up a bit and limited himself to just point at his eyes with his index and middle finger before turning his hand to point at Yazoo in a manner that said he would be keeping his eyes on his brother. Then he turned to Jake and pushed him off lightly saying, "And you, don't touch me if you don't want to eat my fist." As he went back to sit on the couch, he added, "The only reason I don't hit you right now, is because it's your stupid birthday."

Everyone quieted down; then Jake spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Actually, it's customary that the birthday person gets punched on their birthday."

Sei opened her eyes wide and then shook her head. Was he insane? Was he setting up the remnant for an attack? "Wait, Jake—"

"What?" Kadaj stopped on his tracks and looked back at Sei's brother. He seemed interested. Cloud, on the other hand, began to tense up.

Jake nodded and ignored the others. "Yeah; everyone attending the party has to punch the person the same number of times as the years they've completed."

"Are you serious?" Now Kadaj seemed really interested. Cloud cleared his throat and Sei began to wave her arms to catch her brother's attention; she felt the need to remind him that Cloud was around.

"Yeah; it's a custom that's been going on for decades. You didn't know?"

Cloud coughed loudly then extended his leg so he could tap Jake's foot. Jake's response was a mere step aside to allow Cloud some leg space, since he figured that was what he needed. Kadaj shook his head.

"The fun part is the one being hit can't strike back."

"Dude, I'm trying to get your attention here!" Said Sei, finally. Jake turned around and flashed his sister a grin.

"Zat so." Kadaj eyed him warily; he was also beginning to think the man was lying or setting him up.

"Yeah." Said Jake. "Tell you what," he added, offering his shoulder to Kadaj, "why don't you go first."

"Jake!" Sei said between her teeth. Kadaj looked at her and then back at her brother… and suddenly a huge grin spread across his face. He set down the box he was about to open—to Cloud's alarm—and got near the girl's brother. "My pleasure."

He got into a punching position, and then seemed to think better of it because he eyed Cloud as if barely noticing he was around. "Cloud knows about the tradition, don't worry about him," reassured Jake. Then he turned around and faced Cloud. "Right?" Strife looked at Jake with a look that most surely said something among the lines of I-hate-you, before shaking his head and sitting back with eyes closed, a heavy, defeated sigh escaping his lips.

Sei looked at him confused, and deciding it was alright after all, turned to her brother, who was smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back.

Feeling reassured, Kadaj took a swing at Jake's arm.

* * *

Jake looked at the spot that was punched, and then back at Kadaj. "No, man, come on. Hit me."

Kadaj blinked. "I did!"

"Like you mean it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Go for it; twenty-four times! You won't get another opportunity like this for a year!"

That got Kadaj ready for another punch. He hit Jake again, hard enough to make him slide back on the carpet. "Hot damn!"

Jake rolled his eyes. "Is that it? Sei can hit harder." Then he turned to his sister and waved. "No offense, sis. "

Kadaj straightened. "What? No way!" His face showed incredulity.

"Then hit me with your best shot!"

"Okay, let me just gather my strength," he crouched again. "I have to do what I do better than her."

"Cry and beg for mercy?" Yazoo's comment earned laughter from everyone, even a smile from Cloud, who bit his lips from the inside to avoid showing it. He had to admit it was funny, in an obscure way; he knew better than anyone the boy's intensity when he was angry and sad, and it most definitely surpassed Sei. Kadaj glared at Yazoo and was about to stalk over to him again, before Jake grabbed him again and made him back up. Between laughs, he said, "He's just kidding, man, everybody knows you're tough!" He slapped his hand on the remnant's shoulder to get Kadaj's adrenaline pumping as he shouted, "Nobody can beat you!"

"Except me!" chimed in Anna, "I'll stomp that punk into next week!"

The young remnant eyed the red-head and smiled. "Oh really? When's your birthday, Anna? Can't wait for it."

Anna slapped her hand on her knee, hinting at annoyance. "Okay, you little son of a—"

"You're getting all angry 'cause you know I'm right," Kadaj pointed out, laughing along with the rest.

Anna shook her head. "In your dreams."

"No, really. Girls are weak."

"Except my sister." Jake uttered teasingly, lightly nudging Kadaj's rib. The young boy looked at Jake, then at Sei, made a face then nodded. "…Except your sister."

"And Tifa." Said Loz. Cloud opened his eyes and eyed the oldest remnant with a bit of curiosity as everyone else agreed. Kadaj shrugged it off. "But every other girl is weak."

Anna began to get huffy. "NO, girls are smarter, stronger and better than guys."

"Who says?"

"I do!"

"Fine." Kadaj headed over for the living room table, got on his knees and put his arm on the surface. Then he raised his hand, cupped it and glanced at Anna with challenge. "Let's find out. Arm wrestle. Right here, right now. Me versus you; male versus female."

"You're on." Anna got into position as everyone laughed and leaned forward to see the match.

* * *

Cloud narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Sei touched his arm and smiled. "What is it?"

"That really is incredible." He said, pointing at the already going match. "In fact, I wish they'd realize it's so incredible it defies common sense." He looked up at Jake when the man came over and sat on the couch's armrest, setting his arm on the blonde's shoulder once more.

"Everything about them defies common sense, pal." Cloud sighed but didn't say anything. He just watched how the three silver haired men interacted with both the young girls that were Sei's friends. He could bet that Jake had used his abilities on them; if they knew who these men were, they would stay away from them instead of acting so friendly.

The girl named Anna was laughing hard the same as the youngest remnant and was now using both her hands to try and bend the boy's arm backwards. "Anything I can do to help? I'm stronger than he is." The oldest of the three remnants offered as he got closer.

"Loz, you traitor!"

"Forget it, man," was saying Anna, shaking her head, "if you wanna help, assume fetal position and stay outta the way! I am so gonna flip this guy over with pure, raw girl power!"

"Yeah right, you're so weak, you don't even…" Cloud tuned out the rest. He didn't want to hear it. But then Sei laughed beside him, bringing him back just in time as she turned around and said to both him and Jake, "Finally; there's someone who plays with the same intensity he does."

Jake laughed too and shook his head. "No, they seem to be on equal standards, but look closer; if Anna's not careful, Kadaj is going to win this match."

As if on cue, Mimi tackled the remnant by surprise. He literally screeched like a car pulling on the breaks in the middle of a speed race, and then he finally lay on the floor, face up with Mimi sprawled over him. "YES!" screamed Anna. She was still holding Kadaj's hand, and she was putting her weight on her own limb to keep the back of his hand glued to the floor. "I WIN!"

"YOU CHEATED!" Yelled the remnant, squirming to try and get up.

* * *

Jake and Sei were laughing madly as they stood up to break up a fight that was most definitely about to break out between them. "Orite, that's it!" said Kadaj, letting himself go with Jake. He was about to say something, but then his thoughts and words were cut off when Jake shoved his still unopened present into his hands. He smiled, let himself loose and then sat on the couch, present on his lap again. "Time for my present. Plus, knowing Tifa, she probably gave me something super awesome to finish off with you." Sticking out his tongue at Anna, he tore open the box and then extracted the gift, showing it off to everyone. "It's a watch." He looked it over and pressed a few buttons. "Hey, think this has some electrical charges or something to keep that girl away from me? I bet that's totally it." He laughed loudly. "Tell Tifa that I'm—" His eyes filled with confusion as he looked around the room. "Where is he?"

Jake and Sei looked behind them to see the couch empty. A cold draft of air circled around the room, answering the question, before Jake spoke. "He went home."

Kadaj frowned. "He went home? But why?"

Jake smiled gently as did Sei before she replied this time. "He went home, because he went home."

Yazoo stood by the window and quietly looked on outside, until the figure of his Big Brother faded into the distance.

* * *

HELLO EVERYONE! Go to my profile for more information regarding this chapter, and the story in general. Hope you had a fun time reading this chapter!


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